Ninja
by Kai-ou-sama
Summary: Yuffentine. Yuffie's on a quest when fate unites old friends. And just what's wrong with Vincent...? R rating for later chapters.
1. Shelter from the Rain

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy 7, or 10, and as much as I wish I did, I'm just not that lucky. I have no claim to any of the FF characters, and you know it! I simply own the storyline of this story (geez, that's repetitive) and the original characters (duh!). Enjoy!  
  
Ninja  
  
~*~1~*~  
  
Yuffie Kisaragi groaned, wiping the water from her drenched eyes. It was a futile attempt, she knew, since the raindrops were only replaced by more of their brethren, who fell from the heavens in torrents. She cursed the Water God vilely even as she prayed deliverance from his deluge. Her light-feathered mount 'warked' beneath her, as if agreeing and sympathizing with her mistress' fervent, albeit colorful petitions to Leviathan.  
  
She let out a light chuckle. "You tell 'em, Rikki!" She cheered, patting her chocobo lightly on her neck. Rikku 'warked' in response, shaking her head indignantly at the rain, even as Yuffie did the same. Although she didn't wark.  
  
The young girl perked up as she sighted lights in the distance. {About goddamn time I found this @#$^#ing town! Gawd! This rain is driving me nuts!} Despite her harsh thoughts, however, the lights of a town had never looked more beautiful to her than at this moment.  
  
The streets were quiet, although this was nothing new. Even in the best of weather, the town of Nibelheim was never exactly 'hopping'. She steered Rikku towards the first building, the Inn, and jumped gracefully down.  
  
"You stay here, under this nice, dry porch, while I go see about some shelter." She cooed, patting her mount's head and offering her a green with her free hand. The golden chocobo grabbed it greedily enough, though her turquoise eyes glittered with affection as she did so. Yuffie grinned before heading into the building.  
  
The warmth of the inn was welcome solace from harsh elements that whirled at Yuffie's back. She let the door close behind her with a slight jingle of a lone brass bell behind her. Not as musical as the bells in Wutai, but still a welcomed sound. She sighed, and headed towards the abandoned front desk. She rang the service bell once, quite politely, then amused herself by ringing it again and again, at high speeds, when she wasn't immediately answered.  
  
"I'm coming, goddammit! Hold yer chocobos!" A voice called from upstairs.  
  
"Gee, Mister, I would but I left her outside!" Yuffie called back. She continued to ring the service bell.  
  
A very grumpy looking man took his place behind the counter and batted her hand from the bell. "Waddaya want?" He huffed, clearly not caring. Yuffie had no time to answer before he spat out "There ain't no rooms left, lady, so ya might as well bugger off."  
  
"Well aren't you the gracious Innkeep? You could at least be decent to your customers, you old coot! I wouldn't stay here even if there was a room left now! Geez!" She punctuated each sentence with a ring of the bell and stalked off. Once outside, she turned to her Rikku and smiled grimly.  
  
"Well, Rikki, this is a no-go. But never fear! I know someplace else here that's dry, at least. Come on, it's not far." Yuffie led the bird sulkily towards the only other shelter she knew in this town, the ShinRa mansion. The large building loomed against the sky, a void against the dark sky, almost seeming ready to engulf the young girl and her bird as they passed through its rusty gates. Yuffie shook her head to clear away her nervousness, though she hardly succeeded. Soon they had passed the threshold of the mansion and stood inside, girl and bird both blissfully aware of the absence of the merciless torrent of rain from their bodies.  
  
"Wark!" Rikku chirped happily.  
  
"Wark," Yuffie agreed, hugging her chocobo gently. "Gawd it's good to be outta that storm! C'mon, Rikki, let's find us a suitable room!" Yuffie remembered the insides of this mansion vividly. She and her companions had spent hours combing this place, trying to find the clues that had led them to meet Vincent Valentine. {That damn floorboard...} she thought sullenly. She'd always missed it by just a few steps...  
  
She led Rikku up the stairs and off to the left, opting that the best room would be the one adjacent the one with the safe. The other rooms were to close to that creepy under-tunnel for her tastes. Although... {Hey, maybe Vincent's here! Probably back in that creepy coffin of his... Maybe I should check. Yeah, that's it! Can't sleep yet anyway...}  
  
She turned to Rikku who was half-dozing in a corner. "I'm gonna go explore, Rikki," She told the bird as she slipped a blanket over it. "Don't run off, 'kay?" Taking the tired 'wark' for a yes, Yuffie crept down the dusty hall for the hidden passage. The stone door opened a bit loudly for her tastes, but since there wasn't much she could do about it she cursed it softly and continued down the spiraled stairs.  
  
Yuffie had always been afraid that one of these rotting pieces of lumber would break beneath her weight, though after having held Barret so long ago she supposed she wasn't in too much danger. Unless he'd weakened them with his weight, of course. Despite her fears, however, her trip down and to Vincents's old room was uneventful.  
  
The room was just as it had been all those long years ago. {Yeah right, as if it's been that long. I'm still only seventeen for Leviathan's sake!} Cobwebs lined everything in her sight, and there was no sign of life. {Although there hadn't been last time either...} She moved towards the coffin and rapped on the lid.  
  
"Knock knock!" She called lightly. She settled her weight against the lid and pushed...  
  
...And nearly died of a heart attack as something crawled up her back!  
  
"AAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" She screamed, batting her hands against something warm and furry attached to her shirt. She practically ripped the soaking garment from her body in her panic before she threw it across the room. She stood in battle stance, her Conformer held ready as she eyed the moving shirt warily.  
  
She was so occupied with her shirt, however, that she didn't see the dark shape flying towards her head until it practically flew straight into her face. She shrieked again, and fell back into the coffin behind her, the Conformer flying from her grasp as she went.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
{...What?}  
  
Vincent Valentine slowly became aware that something was amiss. He vaguely recalled having heard a scream, something that was all to common in his nightmares, but it seemed just a bit brighter in here now...  
  
Another shriek was all the warning he had before something landed on him. Hard. Pain shot through his chest, and he struggled to identify the squirming thing atop him. His hands searched, moved across it, seeking information, and came to rest on two soft lumps... The previously struggling creature went stock-still.  
  
He blushed slightly as he registered what these lumps were, and quickly removed his hands as he sought to sit up. He lowered his gaze from the ceiling, his mind having finally recovered from sleep mode, and saw dark hair. He wrapped his hands about the slender female's waist and lifted her from his coffin and onto the floor, where she rolled off towards something gleaming just beyond his vision.  
  
"Halt," he ordered, Death Penalty in his hand and aimed at the intruder. He cocked the trigger.  
  
At the sound of the gun, the girl stopped her progress instantly, as if frozen in place. She held her hands up, her back towards him, still crouched on her knees.  
  
"Face me," Vincent told the girl, his voice calm and seemingly unfazed by the previous chaos that had awakened him.  
  
The dark haired girl stood and slowly turned, her arms moving to cross her chest protectively. She wore no shirt, he saw, but a black bra and a pair of short khaki shorts and various little oddities that served as armor designed to hold lots of materia. Around her head, keeping her dark, almost shoulder length brown hair from her face, was a vaguely familiar headband, with two gleaming gems at the end. Her stormy eyes were wide, and also strikingly familiar.  
  
"Talk," he told her, gesturing slightly with his gun.  
  
"V-Vinnie! Hold it, it's me!" the girl exclaimed, eyes flickering from his eyes to the gun and back.  
  
{Vinnie... Wait, Yuffie? How...?} "Yuffie?" he asked, more to himself than the girl.  
  
"Yeah, me, Yuffie! Your friend? Compadre? Traveling companion, at least? We only saved the world together! Hel-lo!?" the girl, Yuffie, rambled on, outraged. "I mean, come on! I was the cutest girl there, remember? Don't tell me you forgot!?"  
  
He lowered the Death Penalty and re-holstered it, keeping his eyes trained on his former companion. She'd really started to fill out, her form not quite the stick it once was. {But still slightly scrawny... Wait, why do I care?} He awaited an explanation for her presence.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Yuffie fidgeted nervously, keeping her eyes trained slightly to the right and a few inches below Vincent's face, so that she stared at his shoulder. She always did this around the dark man, his blood-red eyes unnerving her greatly. It was now that she remembered just how scared he made her. She couldn't take his scrutiny any longer, and the loss of her shirt made her feel vulnerable under his gaze, where normally it wouldn't have bothered her.  
  
"I-I just came in to get outta the storm," she explained. "And then I thought, since I couldn't sleep, that maybe I should see if you were here." She grew bolder at the sound of her voice. "You know, a little adventure to tire myself out! I never actually thought I'd find you, though. I really thought you'd be at that waterfall."  
  
"And you sought me shirtless because...?" his voice sounded vaguely amused.  
  
Yuffie felt her face redden. {Why am I getting so embarrassed? I'm wearing a friggin bra! I never get like this around anyone! But him... Is it because he...?} Her thoughts strayed back, in the coffin, when he'd groped her breasts so suddenly. She hadn't even known he was in there, those creatures had surprised her before she could look in... And the feel of his hands, silken skin and metal... She shivered slightly.  
  
"Something crawled up my shirt while I was pushing that ungodly heavy lid," she explained, collecting her thoughts. "So I took it off and threw it against the wall. Then somthin' went and swooped at my head and knocked me on top of you! Then you had ta go feelin' me up..." she glared at him, trying desperately to ignore the memory of his hands again, "And the next thing I know there's some weirdo Goth with a gun to my head! Gawd!"  
  
She stamped off towards her discarded shirt and prodded the forest green material with her boot. A lump moved and she stared as a large gray rat scampered out.  
  
"A %$#^*in' rat?" she raged, grabbing her garment from the floor and shaking the dust from it. "All that commotion over a goddamn rat? @#$%!"  
  
"I see Cid's taught you well," she heard Vincent's deep voice behind her. Monotonous, as always. Geez, wasn't their any variation to how he said things? Listening to him speak had always lulled her into a sort of trance, his rich, steady voice washing over her senses like a tsunami. She had a feeling that if she looked into his eyes she might be hypnotized. Well, vampires were supposed to have that effect, right?  
  
She pulled on her shirt, her back facing him. {But is he really a vampire? Aren't they supposed to, like, melt in the sun? He never had. But what if Hojo, you know, added stuff? Immunities and crap.} She shuddered as she imagined a race of super-vamps, all immune to light and garlic and holy water... {Grossness! Glad that nut's dead...}  
  
"Um, like, sorry I bothered you, Vinnie," she said, scratching her head as she picked up her Conformer. "You can, um, sleep some more or somethin'. Whatever. But... I think I'm ready to leave this creepy tunnel."  
  
She left the room, her heart beating abnormally fast, and sighed. Talking to Vincent always had that effect, and she was sure she wasn't the only one to feel it. Aeris and Tifa had both shared her feelings and even Cloud had been nervous around him. {Man...}  
  
She was halfway down the hall when her ninja senses detected that she was being followed. She turned to see Vincent behind her, his deep garnet eyes locked on hers, and she forced herself to break the eye contact to stare at his shoulder again. {Geez, was it always this hard to look him in the eyes?}  
  
"Hey, Vinnie!" she smiled cheerfully, confused by his presence. She began walking once more, and heard his metal boots clink softly behind her. "So, where ya headed? Don't tell me; you couldn't bear to see such beauty slip through your fingers, right?" She joked, more to distract herself from her nervousness than anything else.  
  
"Hmph. It's time for Auron's dinner," she heard him respond softly.  
  
"Really...? Huh, I thought you might've sold him or something. I'm flattered you kept him." Auron was a black chocobo that Yuffie had bred during their exploits. A fast, beautiful bird, he had been quiet and somewhat aloof in nature, and Yuffie had thought he suited Vincent's personality perfectly. She had bred enough chocobos to suit every one of her friends, all in pursuit of the elusive gold chocobo. She had raced every chocobo her companions owned, and Vincent's Auron had been the only one able to match her golden Rikku in speed. Even Rikku's brother, Cecil, another gold that Yuffie had gifted Cloud with, couldn't match their speed. It had been due to her efforts that they possessed the Knights of the Round materia, so she had kept the original, mastered version while Cloud was given it's offspring.  
  
"Hey, if you've got Auron, does that mean there are some stables nearby? I need to get Rikku out of that room before she decides to do her business."  
  
"There are... a few suitable stables. Bring Rikku, I shall wait at the front door."  
  
"Hey, that's the longest thing I heard you say all night!" Yuffie cheered. "I'll go get her."  
  
Waking the golden bird and convincing her to go back in the rain was one of the most difficult challenges Yuffie had faced since the battle with Sephiroth. Yuffie sympathized with her; she didn't want to go out there either. Yuffie finally had to coax her out with the promise of sylkis greens, and those were expensive @#$*&ing greens.  
  
The stables weren't far, by the side of the mansion, actually, but the tempest still raging outside made them seem much farther. Yuffie was shivering when they finally made it to the stables and was pissed because Vincent seemed unfazed. She ushered Rikku towards a stable adjacent the occupied one and set about comforting Rikku and coughing up the promised greens. She then stood beside the busy Vincent to say hi to Auron.  
  
"Yo, Auron, been awhile!" She giggled as Auron paused his feeding to grace her with an affectionate butting of his dark head, much like a cat might do. "Wow, your eyes got much darker. They look a lot like Vinnie's now!"  
  
Vincent trained his before-mentioned eyes on the cheerful ninja.  
  
"W-what?" Yuffie fidgeted nervously before his gaze again, feeling the heat rising to her cheeks as it so often did when he stared at her. "It was meant as a compliment..." She shivered involuntarily, the cold of the weather and the heat of his gaze confusing her body. She lowered her storm grey eyes to his shoulder.  
  
"I wonder how you know," he mused, lifting her chin so that her eyes had to meet his garnet ones, "if you never look at my eyes? I find it slightly unnerving when people speak to my shoulders."  
  
Yuffie drew in a slight breath and released it in a small sigh. The warmth of his hand spread like fire through her chin, and she found herself drowning in his endless gaze. His calm voice was dulling her senses, and the coldness of her body was forgotten. Somewhere her mind told her that he was hypnotizing her, like she feared would happen, but she didn't care. Her eyelids drooped and she felt her body go slack. She felt herself falling towards the ground, but couldn't bring herself to support her weight anymore. She fell.  
  
Or, she would have fallen if Vincent hadn't wrapped his arms around her, sending her body on red alert. She saw worry crease his brow as he shook her softly.  
  
"Yuffie? Yuffie, what's wrong?" he asked, his voice still swirling through her senses.  
  
"I..." she tried to tear her gaze away, but failed, "Don't know... Nothing... I guess."  
  
He lifted her into his arms and trailed his crimson eyes ahead to his destination. And in that instant, Yuffie felt the mist lift from her mind. {What happened? Did-did Vincent really hypnotize me? Maybe he really is some sort of super-vampire!} She felt the rain and wind sweep over her briefly before a scarlet cloth shielded her. She snuggled closer to the warmth his body offered her cold frame and felt her face flare up again. She could feel the taunt muscles beneath his thin shirt rippling as he walked. {Yeowch, didn't know Vinnie was this built...}  
  
Her scrutiny of what lay beneath his shirt was cut short, however, as she felt him deposit her on something soft. His cloak fell away from her body, and she saw she was in the same room she had first left Rikku. Without Vincent's body to warm her, the chill of the room caught her and she shivered violently, wrapping her slender arms around her rain-soaked frame. She watched as the pale man bent near a fireplace and pointed a finger.  
  
"Fire," he murmured softly, and a green materia sparkled on his glove as a small flame leapt into the structure, kindling a blazing fire to heat the dismal room. He then turned towards the trembling girl, and sat beside her on the bed.  
  
"Are you all right?" he asked, setting a musty smelling blanket around her shoulders.  
  
"Y-yeah, I guess," Yuffie mumbled, staring off into the flames. She wasn't sure if she was, though. How was one supposed to feel after being brainwashed? "Probably just this journey catching up to me. I'll feel just fine once I catch some Zs, I'll betcha!" she smiled, her voice gaining confidence with each word she uttered.  
  
"Speaking of which..." his quiet monotone rang almost melodiously at her side, lulling her towards that strange half-trance, "What brings you to this town?"  
  
"Oh, just the usual materia hunting," she said shrugging. "Sort of a showy test to 'prove myself', I guess. Although Godo already knows I'm worthy to take the friggin' ritual, it's traditional that all ninjas search for and bring back some sorta offering. Usually it's some kinda relic or other, but I think a rare materia would work, too. I'll know it when I see it, I guess." She grinned up at soft-spoken gunslinger. "Feel like helpin'? It'd be nice to have some company, and you really shouldn't spend so much time moping about that coffin. Auron's probably dying from boredom!"  
  
"...What sort of ritual?" he asked, completely ignoring her offer. She fumed a little, but she hadn't expected him to agree anyway. She shrugged and leaned back nonchalantly, resting her weight against her arms.  
  
"Some ritual to make one an official Ninja," she said proudly. "I've been honing my skills to prepare, though I could've taken it last year. Nobody's ever really told me what happens, but I just know it's gonna be a piece of cake! After all, I saved the planet! Well, you all helped of course."  
  
A small chuckle drew her out of her rant, and she glanced up at Vincent, giving him a strange look. His blood red eyes caught her gaze and held it once more. "...What's so funny?"  
  
"You regain your energy quickly, for someone who almost fainted so recently." She thought she saw concern flicker in his gaze as she began to spiral into his eyes once again. She was aware of the cover slipping from her body, but where the icy draft of the room should have bit into her damp skin she felt only vague discomfort.  
  
"Yuffie...?" The red haze consumed her mind entirely and she knew only him.  
  
"Yes...?" she asked, her voice sounding distant.  
  
"Perhaps you should sleep," he suggested, worry slightly laced in his words.  
  
"Okay..." and Yuffie could feel herself falling forward, the world going black...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Vincent leaned forward to catch the falling girl in his arms, asleep even as she fell towards the floor. He pulled her small figure against his body as he pondered over what had happened. It made no sense. One minute she was laughing and energetic, and the next... she was swooning beneath his gaze. Twice. He'd never remembered Yuffie to do that before.  
  
*You're perplexed.* a voice rumbled in his mind. *Why?*  
  
Chaos... {Something strange is happening... Why is Yuffie acting so strangely?}  
  
*Yuffie...? Oh right, that hyper little thief. She's always been odd, hasn't she?* Chaos's voice took on a suggestive tone. *Or have you been too receptive to her body to notice her mind?*  
  
{I'm not that shallow. I've barely even looked at her until now.}  
  
*Do you like what you see?* Chaos inquired, seeming to take delight in the discomfort of his host.  
  
{.....}  
  
Chaos erupted into gales of boisterous laughter. *I knew it! So the heart of ice can be thawed! Or at least the body it resides in can be heated!*  
  
{Don't be absurd. Yuffie must be about thirty years younger than me.}  
  
*So...?* Chaos took on a different tone of voice then. His sly, teasing voice became its previous low grumble. *But I am worried. I sense changes in you and I grow troubled. Changes that started before even the girl awoke you. I know not why they are happening or the extent, but...*  
  
{Well? What- how can I figure out what's wrong with me}? If Chaos was worried then Vincent should be scared shitless. As it was, however, it was not in Vincent's nature to be particularly afraid for himself, so he settled on being distraught and slightly annoyed. {Do you know...?}  
  
*I- am not sure.* Chaos seemed to be in deep thought. *But I do recall, when Hojo did his experiments on you, that he occasionally had an assistant. I can't recall who, though...*  
  
Vincent sighed, brushed a few strands of ebony hair from his face and shifted the sleeping girl in his arms slightly, bathing her face in firelight. {Well, I suppose I could search his research files some more. Perhaps there will be some mention of this 'assistant' there.} He felt Chaos's mind shift back into the recesses of his consciousness and gazed at the dark-haired girl in his arms.  
  
"What made you swoon like that?" he asked her softly, as he prepared her for bed. He didn't know why she'd fainted, but he felt vaguely guilty.  
  
~*~End Chapter~*~  
  
Heh, not too bad for my first fanfiction, I hope! Please review and tell me what you think!  
  
~Kai~ 


	2. Searching for Answers

*Insert standard disclaimer here*  
  
Ninja  
  
~*~2~*~  
  
{Oh, my head.} Yuffie sat up slowly, her head feeling as if a thousand tiny Sephiroths were inside her skull and slicing her brain into a thick gumbo. {Please stop, chibi Sephys.}}She stared at a spot in front of her as she waited for the glare to die down.  
  
{Aw man, did I oversleep again.? Chekov is so gonna kill me for missin' early mornin' practice today.} A musty smell wafted through her nose, sending the small ninja into a sneezing fit that threw her back. and off the bed.  
  
"Ow! Goddamn it! Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow! Gawd!" Yuffie winced as she rubbed her throbbing shoulder. "Oh, that's gonna leave a bruise." {Wait, a bed.? I don't have a bed. Oh yeah.!} Yuffie's eyes widened as she remembered the nights previous events. {Oh! Vinnie! I wonder where old El Gotho went, anyway!}  
  
It was as Yuffie was stretching that she noticed something wasn't quite right. There were sleeves. She stared down, trying to get a look at the unfamiliar garments that bedecked her body. A long, black silk button down shirt hung from her loosely, coming down to about mid-thigh, having obviously been made for someone much taller than its current occupant. Pants of the same shade and material clung loosely to her hips, and fell off completely as she took a step towards the mirror. She shrugged and kicked the cumbersome material onto the bed before facing the mirror and striking a pose.  
  
{Damn, I don't look half bad in Vinnie's things.} She stopped mid- pose, her eyes becoming impossibly large. {Wait wait wait wait wait, hold UP here! Vinnie's clothes!? That means. he.} "Oh GAWD!"  
  
Yuffie shrieked, panicked, and ran around the room before stopping, her eyes seemed to glow faintly with the righteous flame that only a violated female could achieve.  
  
"Vinnie Valentine, you are so dead!" She screamed, running out of the room to search for the absent ex-Turk. "Oh Gawd!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
/Subject having incredible reaction to Ghalion Beast cell injection... Next administration to be made the 8th... Subject Vincent Valentine is remarkably the only patient to survive second Ghalion injection... Mako reaction to foreign cells up 15%...\  
  
Vincent Valentine rubbed his temples in frustration. He'd been up all through the night, poring over the late Professor Hojo's reports, seeking an answer to a question he wasn't sure of. What was he looking for? Why, after all these years of semi-stability, was his body starting to change again? What was Chaos all worked up about? Why was Yuffie acting so strangely around him? Sure, she'd always tried to avoid his gaze, but never to such an extent. And she'd never once fainted, or drifted off into space like that. {What's going on...?}  
  
It was at that moment that he heard the echoes of footsteps running through the corridor. He looked up towards the study door as he heard the slam of someone kicking open the other door that led to his coffin. He winced, and heard shouts of "Oh Gawd!" rumbling through the tunnel. He marked his place in the journal as he went to investigate the strange noises.  
  
He was halfway from the book-lined hall of the study to the door when it slammed open, momentarily startling Vincent. Before you could say 'materia', the form of a young girl zipped in, jumped, and, using Vincent's shoulder for support, gracefully flipped over his head, latched onto his back, and was attempting to put him in a stranglehold. Vincent only blinked in surprise as he was thrown against the wall, knocking musty books off the shelves as he struggled for balance.  
  
*Nice moves on that one.*  
  
{Not now, Chaos.}Vincent wrapped his hands around the girl's arms in an attempt to pry her from his neck as she shook his head violently.  
  
"Vincent Valentine, you pervert! Removing a girl's clothes while she's sleeping, Gawd! Taking advantage of my innocent state! I've got half a mind to shove this shuriken up your."  
  
"Excuse me," he interjected, grabbing her arms more tightly, "But could I breathe, please?"  
  
"Ow! Okay, okay! Ease up with the claw, Vinnie!" Her voice took on a whining tone as she stopped trying to obstruct his windpipe. "But you'd better start explaining, buster! Ow, I think I'm bleeding." She clutched his cape with one arm as she held up the other for examination, never moving from his back.  
  
He sighed as he collected his thoughts. {This reminds me why I dislike visitors so much.} "First, I removed your clothes because they were cold and wet. I could easily have let you catch pneumonia, if you'd like. Second, I have no interest in 'taking advantage' of anybody. And finally." he allowed himself a small smirk, "would you rather I waited until you were awake to remove your clothes.?"  
  
He felt her release his cape in shock as she slid down his back to the floor. He turned to trail his garnet eyes on her. Her stormy eyes were wide and her mouth hung open slightly as she blushed furiously. She clutched her right arm and he could see blood trickling slightly around the edges of her hand. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up over her elbows and threatened to fall down over her slender arms. He ran a finger through his long ebony hair and fixed a worried glance at her arm. "I'm sorry. We should put some bandages on that."  
  
She gaped, obviously trying to sort out his statements. She shook her head and fixed him with a strange look that seemed to be half disbelief/half humor. "Gee, Vinnie. I think that's the fist joke I've ever heard you make. Never thought you'd be such a pervert, though." A grin lit her face as she stood up. "Vinnie's a p-erv!"  
  
He heard Chaos snicker in his mind. *Yeah.Vinnie's a p-erv! I knew you had it in you, 'Vinnie'.*  
  
{Shut up, demon!} Why in the world had he said that to her.?  
  
*Yeah, yeah.*  
  
"An-e-ways, weren't you gonna get some bandages? My arm really hurts." He started out of his internal conversation at the sound of her voice.  
  
"O-of course. This way," he led her towards the back of the study where he'd been searching the journals. There was always a medical kit back here, though there'd been no need of it until today. He gestured towards the chair and she sat as he kneeled, searching for the medi-kit. Within seconds he had the white box open on the desk.  
  
"Let me see your arm," he told her, selecting a few anti-bacterial liquids and unraveling some of the gauze.  
  
"Sure," she removed her bloodied hand from its spot on her arm and the distinct smell of blood washed across his senses, sharp and metallic. {I wonder how it tastes.} He quickly shook thoughts of simply licking her wounds clean from his mind and held his breath as he washed the wounds with a damp cotton ball. What had gotten him.? The wounds were small; five punctures, no larger than paper cuts, really, and the blood had already stopped oozing out. He gently wrapped the gauze around her arm.  
  
"Done," he said simply, gazing down at her. She seemed to be better since last night, as she met his gaze more often and hadn't once swooned. Perhaps she was right about it just being the journey.  
  
"So, watcha doin' down here, anyway? A little light reading?" she grinned as she glanced around the piles of books strewn about the desk. "Can't say I agree with your choice of books, though."  
  
Vincent saw no point in withholding the truth. "Actually, I'm searching for information regarding Hojo. Or, more specifically, any assistants he may have had."  
  
"Really.? What about, you know, that Lucy person?"  
  
"Besides her." Vincent didn't feel up to discussing Lucrecia.  
  
"Oh." She wrinkled her brow cutely in thought. "How long have you been looking?"  
  
He sighed tiredly and shook his head. "All night."  
  
He eyes widened. "Geez, Vinnie, take a break!"  
  
He just stared at her. What did she know? What right did she have to tell him to rest?  
  
She must have sensed his thoughts, because she followed her statement with perfect logic. "I mean, endless searching without some rest can mess with your mind and make you skip something vitally important that you'd normally find." She paused, and her scholarly lecture was somewhat broken by a loud grumble from her stomach. She scratched her head and laughed nervously. "Besides, I'm hungry! What's for breakfast, Vinnie?"  
  
Vincent just sighed. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The smell of food was driving Yuffie crazy, and she jumped around the hallway in anticipation. Vincent had already kicked her out of the kitchen for being too hyper, so all she could do was wait around outside the door and drool at the heavenly aroma of warm food. She hadn't eaten since yesterday morning, if you could really call a strip of beef jerky and stale cheese 'food'. {Hell, Rikku ate better than I did.}  
  
She shook her head. She had already fed the two chocobos while she'd waited for Vincent to make breakfast. Memories of having been lost in Vincent's gaze had washed over her when she looked into Auron's ruby eyes, but she'd ditched the memory with a laugh. But still, this made her think. {How come I was all wimpy around him last night, when this morning I can look him in the eye (somewhat) while he talks? That traveling must've taken more out of me than I thought.}  
  
Her thoughts were cut short, however, as the door next to her burst open, Vincent emerging from the kitchen and balancing two large plates of food with all the grace of a cat. {Man, if I tried that, dinner would literally be on me!} She thought with a slight chuckle as she trailed after the dark haired man towards the dining room.  
  
She leaned against the doorway and pushed the dark sleeves of the soft shirt back above her elbows. She probably should have changed before breakfast, but she'd been too lazy to walk all the way back up two flights of stairs when Vincent's shirt was so darn comfy anyways.  
  
As if on cue, the previously mentioned man turned towards her. "Are you planning on eating? After all the havoc you caused waiting for it, I'm surprised it's not gone already."  
  
"Touché, monsieur Valentine!" She performed an elaborate bow before sitting down in the proffered chair, using the funny accent she'd heard one of the ladies in Costa Del Sol use. She remembered having erupted into fits of giggles when the woman had said that, but had used it often the following month after learning its meaning. She'd driven everyone up the wall with that phrase.  
  
She lifted a sausage up to her nose and sniffed it, allowing the aroma of warm meat and spices to engulf her senses before taking a delicate bite off the end. A look of rapturous bliss dominated her features and she closed her eyes in order to better savor the taste. After that first, slow bite, she proceeded to inhale the morsels on the plate before her, eating as a girl possessed. Her feeding was only interrupted when she took an occasional pause to drink some orange juice and fling a quick compliment in Vincent's direction. Before long the plate was empty, and was patting her stomach contentedly and sighing.  
  
"Man, Vinnie, you can cook!" she grinned and leaned back in her chair. Vincent wasn't even halfway done, his eyes fixed on her and the empty plate before her as he slowly moved her fork to and from his own food to his mouth. "Hey, don't stare! It's not like I'm gonna snatch your food while you're not lookin'!"  
  
"Are you sure? The way you inhaled your own food I wouldn't put it past you."  
  
{Another joke.?} "Gee, Vinnie, you're on a roll. Keep it up and I just might think you've got a sense of humor!" She grinned at him. He coughed slightly and turned his attention to the plate in front of him once more. Yuffie sighed and fidgeted nervously in her chair across from his, staring about the dining room. Other than the kitchen, this was the only room in the mansion that was devoid of dust. Yuffie cleared her throat.  
  
"So, um, what happened to all the monsters?" she finally asked.  
  
Vincent just stared at her, as if she'd asked the most idiotic question in the entire world. Finally, he responded. "I. exterminated them."  
  
"Oh, right," the young ninja couldn't take it anymore. {Maaaan, I really hate these long silences! I just feel so awkward.} She stood and stretched. "Well, that was the best breakfast I've ever had, Vinnie! Thanks so very, very much! Well, I guess I'll head upstairs and change. And no following me, you perverted vamp!" She winked at the last statement to show that she was joking and skipped out of the room before he could comment.  
  
She raced up the stairs two at a time, the excellently prepared breakfast having reenergized her young body to its peak teenage performance. In true hyper-Yuffie fashion, she jumped at the open door, using the momentum and swing of the door to launch herself feet first in a full-body horizontal kick.  
  
And would have landed gracefully if her feet had not connected with something solid inside the room. She heard a thump and a groan as a figure flew across the room with the force of her kick. She stared at the scene before her.  
  
A darkly hooded person was sprawled in the corner, Yuffie's bag lay open in the middle of the floor, and her shuriken lay gleaming on the desk next to her. Yuffie grinned, picking up her Conformer and glaring evilly at the would-be thief before her. She grabbed his cowl and shook him back and forth, holding her shuriken to his throat. "So you thought you could steal from a ninja, huh, punk? I'll kick yer hooded ass to the crater and back, buddy!"  
  
The cowl fell away from her captive and she stared, her threats momentarily forgotten. This man looked almost like Vincent, his face was definitely that of her pale friend. But his hair. it was Sephiroth-white, though cut much shorter. Yuffie shook her head. A thief was a thief, and no one stole from Yuffie Kisaragi! She slapped him.  
  
"Yo! Wake your pale ass up, buster! We have things to discuss!"  
  
He groaned and rubbed his head gingerly before opening his eyes. These, too, caught her off guard, and she had to blink to make sure she was seeing right. His eyes were blood red, like Vincent's, and glowed with Mako, but they were shaped more like Sephiroth's had been. Currently, they were full of surprise.  
  
"W-who are you?" he asked, his eyes locked on hers. His voice was deep but held a boyish quality, reminding her vaguely of Cloud. She glared at him.  
  
"I think I should asking you that, mister! What the hell were you doing, rifling through my stuff!? That's private property!" she shoved the Conformer closer to his face. "You may begin with the explanations."  
  
His eyes left hers to cross cutely at the shuriken point at his nose. He seemed to smirk slightly. "I really don't feel like it right now."  
  
Yuffie's blue-grey eyes stormed over with rage. "W-what?!? You punk! I ain't givin' you a choice!"  
  
He shook his head, the slight smirk turning into a mysterious smile. Yuffie fumed. How could he and Vincent still manage to look cool even after being beaten up? She'd never been able to.  
  
His hand moved so fast that Yuffie barely had time to react, instinctively reaching to parry the blow with her Conformer as she kicked herself away from his body, digging the heel of her foot into his shin as she did so. She heard him curse as she took up her standard battle stance, shuriken held ready.  
  
"Hey, you're pretty good," he said appreciatively, running a hand through his snowy hair. "The first person to dodge that blow since, well, ever!" He smirked once more. "But I'm afraid there's no time to play."  
  
There was a blast of smoke that left Yuffie coughing and gagging, and she barely heard the sound of shattering glass as she wheezed for breath. She held the dark silk of her shirt over her mouth as she squinted into the smoke after the mysterious Vincent look-a-like. It was while she was waving the smog away from her face and beginning to change out of Vincent's shirt that the door to her room burst open.  
  
"Yuffie, what-"  
  
"Ahhhhh!!! Vincent, you pervert, I told you not to follow me!" she shrieked, holding the black silk garment in front of her protectively as she threw a shoe at him. He dodged and darted back out the way he'd come, his garnet eyes wide.  
  
Panting heavily from the scare Vincent had given her (She'd thought he had been the white haired-man again, coming back for a sneak attack), she dressed into her outfit quickly and clutched her shuriken nervously before calling out. "Vinnie.? You can come in now!"  
  
The door opened slowly, and a very distraught looking Vincent Valentine entered the room, his crimson gaze flicking from Yuffie to the window and back. "What.?  
  
"That? Oh, some weirdo was in here looking for loot. I caught him rummaging through my bags, so I laid some total smack-down on him!" She grinned and punched an invisible enemy in the air before calming down a bit and sighing. "But then he whipped out a smoke bomb and dived through the window. Gawd! The nerve of some thieves!"  
  
Vincent stared out the broken window and out over the small town of Nibelheim. "Describe him."  
  
"I'd say, oh, half a head taller than me. white, I mean, Sephiroth-white hair to about his neck and stuck out in some places. kinda pale, not as bad as you, though. red eyes that glowed with Mako or something." She grinned. "And totally hot. if you like dark and mysterious type!"  
  
He stared at her, and she felt herself blush slightly. Especially since the person she'd described had looked so very similar to Vincent. Lucky he didn't know that.  
  
"Do you?" he asked.  
  
"Huh? Do I what?" she asked, glancing quickly around the room.  
  
"Go for the dark and mysterious type?" his eyes were boring into hers, causing the heat to rise to her face again.  
  
"M-ay-be, may-be not!" she grinned and stretched her arms above her head as she dropped her eyes to his shoulder, trying to dispel her blush. "But regardless of my preference in guys, don't you have something you need to be doing?"  
  
He furrowed his brow in concentration before nodding in agreement. "Yes, I must continue my search." He shifted his eyes to the broken window once more. "Will you be alright by yourself?"  
  
"By myself.? Vinnie, I'm shocked!" She twirled, grabbing her bag from the floor and smiled up at him. "I'm going down there with you! After all." she balled her fists under her chin and did her best 'helpless maiden' impersonation. "It's just not safe for a young girl alone anymore!"  
  
Vincent sighed and turned to leave. "Very well. Just don't be too much of a pest while I'm searching."  
  
"Me? A pest? Whatever!" she stomped her foot indignantly and flipped her hair out of her face before following him back to the basement. {Well, it felt nice to kick some butt after such a large meal, anyway. At least this little stay in Nibelheim hasn't been boring.}  
  
Upon reaching Hojo's old study/lab/really dusty old library, Yuffie immediately plopped down in a corner to do an inventory check. {Let's see. materia. brush. ugh, more jerky. picture of the old group, including Aeris!. Sephiroth's severed head. no, wait, that's just a doll. um, hey, where's my.?} "Aaahhhhhhh!!!!!" Yuffie let out a scream loud enough to wake the dead.  
  
She was frantically pawing through her bag as Vincent rushed in, Death Penalty in his hand and aimed ahead of him. "What's wrong?" he asked, his eyes darting warily around the room.  
  
She stared at him and sniffled. "My-my. That bastard stole my diaries! Not just one, but all of them! I've got some personal stuff in there!"  
  
He stared at her in disbelief. "Your. diaries. All that screaming over some books?"  
  
"Books!?" she wailed, turning a very evil death-glare his way. "How would you feel if someone stole your thoughts and feelings? If they perused your personal life over tea and crackers? Huh!? I don't know about you, but the thought of some strange guy laughing at my misfortunes does not amuse me!"  
  
He didn't even have the decency to look abashed. He just stood there, all stotic and cool looking before calmly reaching a hand out to her. "I'm sorry about your loss, however there is nothing we can do about it at present. Why don't you do something else to take you mind off of it?"  
  
She sniffed and took his hand, smiling grimly up at him. "Yeah, you're right, Vinnie. No use crying about it now, huh? Let's you and me get searching for this assistant or whatever. Two people search faster than one, right?"  
  
"Right," he agreed and nodded towards the wall behind her. "Try searching this area while I continue going through those books in there. Tell me as soon as you find something."  
  
Yuffie searched through book after dust-covered book, looking for information to help her depressed friend. She didn't know why he cared about Hojo's assistants, unless he was plotting revenge or something, but it did help her forget about her lost diaries, so she pored her heart into the search.  
  
After what seemed to Yuffie like absolute days later, she thought she'd finally found something. She perked up and eagerly scanned the yellowed pages.  
  
/Cyrus shows promise for such a young lad, and his ideas on the reanimation of flesh and the fusion of undead tissue to living are fascinating. I'm delighted to have him as an assistant. The idea of infusing subject V.V. with Death Gigas was splendid. to think I was just going to settle for the Ghalion Beast! Cyrus has also suggested trying another monster and I'm thinking of using Hellmasker. That should suit my assistant's tastes well enough, I think. Cyrus's Yin and Yangs are progressing brilliantly, much stronger than expected. I'm thinking of allowing him to infuse subject V.V. with these other creatures he's been talking about, though I don't think it's a good idea to use.\  
  
The rest of the words were too faded and smudged to read, but she'd found what she needed. She ran to the back of the study, where she skipped happily to stand in front of Vincent, the journal behind her back.  
  
".Yes?" he asked, not even glancing up from his book.  
  
"Gee, no 'Hi, Yuffie, how're you doing, found anything?'? I'm shocked and hurt that you care so little for my welfare." She pouted and moved closer, so close she could hear him breathe. She placed a hand on his cheek and turned his head to face her. She smiled. "I've got a surprise for ya, Vinnie." she said softly.  
  
"And what would that be.?" he asked softly, his garnet eyes meeting her gaze curiously. He was so close that just the slightest move forward would.  
  
She blushed at the thoughts that swarmed through her head and pulled the journal from behind her back, placing it between her lips and his. "Read here," she told him, her lips brushing the paper.  
  
The look on his face shifted from surprise to disbelief and finally to a look that suggested that, had that book not been in the way, he would have kissed her. "You found something?" he asked incredulously, pulling his head back slightly, excitement creeping into his voice.  
  
"Yep! Someone named Cyrus." she shrugged. "You know him?"  
  
He paused in thought for a moment before nodding slowly. "I think I remember meeting him once. Tall, athletic looking boy, not the type you expect to see in a lab coat. Blond, I believe. Very interested in undead." He read the passage that Yuffie had pointed out and stared off into space, lost in his thoughts.  
  
"Vinnie?" she asked after a while, the silence getting to her once more.  
  
He didn't seem to hear her. "It's too bad we can't read the rest of this." he mused, still staring off at something visible only to him.  
  
"Well, there is one good way to find out what it says, right?" she offered, trying to lighten his spirits.  
  
"Oh? And what would that be?" he asked, turning an amused gaze on the young girl before him.  
  
"We could go find this Cyrus person and ask him!" she said, pleased with her obvious brilliance.  
  
"Mm, there's just one problem," he said, standing up and walking back through the tunnel, the journal clutched in his claw. "We don't even know if he's alive anymore, much less where he resides."  
  
"Oh," she pouted, crestfallen, "Right." Her head perked up once they left the winding staircase of the passage. "Hey, do you hear something?"  
  
Vincent nodded. There was a pounding on the front door of the mansion. Yuffie raced to the window of the room to look into the front yard. "Hey, Vinnie, whoever it is came inside." she said quietly. {I bet it's the punk who took my diary!}  
  
Vincent motioned for her to flank the door, ready to tackle whoever came through while he covered her with his gun. She nodded and got into position.  
  
The door opened, and Yuffie instantly flew into the figure. She had him down with his hands pinned under her knees and her shuriken pressed against his neck as she found herself face to face with.  
  
"Cloud!?"  
  
~*~End Chapter~*~  
  
*Yes, I realize that the whole gag about the guy changing the girl's clothes in her sleep is cliché, but so is accidentally groping her breasts. It's still a classic element, and it's still amusing!*  
  
~Kai~ 


	3. Uninvited Guests

*Insert yet another disclaimer here*  
  
Ninja  
  
~*~3~*~  
  
".And that's that." Yuffie finished, smiling broadly at her two old friends. Cloud nodded his understanding while Tifa's eyes flashed in furious sympathy for the young Ninja's lost diaries. Yuffie had just finished telling her friends about her quest and her meeting with Vincent (the edited version, of course. There was no need to tell them everything) and had included the theft of her stuff by the mysterious man. The four friends were gathered in the kitchen, since it was the only room that Vincent had really bothered to keep clean. The said man was reclining in a typically shadowy corner, near the door, while Cloud, Tifa, and Yuffie were sitting on the counters, Yuffie absently swinging her legs.  
  
"We can't let that man go unpunished!" Tifa decided, holding up a clenched fist. The Premium Heart's leather stretched almost menacingly over her skin. "We'll help you find that creep, Yuffie! Right, Cloud?" The busty barkeeper trained her dark eyes on the spiky-haired man next to her. He coughed slightly.  
  
"I suppose," he shrugged. "But how are we supposed to find him exactly? Yuffie's the only one who even knows what he looks like, and her description's kinda sketchy."  
  
The three friends sat in brooding silence. Yuffie twiddled her thumbs and occasionally kicked at the ground. It was nice to see the young swordsman and his childhood friend again, but then it occurred to her.  
  
"Anyways, what brings you guys out to Nibelheim? Can't see what's so interesting about this backwater dump anyway. unless you count the vampire!" Yuffie threw a sideways glance at Vincent, who thus far had contributed very little to the conversation at hand. He glanced up and raised an eyebrow at her, but kept silent.  
  
"The vampire.? Oh, you mean Vincent." Tifa giggled a bit. "Actually, Cloud and I were on our way to Rocket Town to ask Cid if we could use the Highwind."  
  
"Oh hey, he got that thing fixed?" Yuffie asked, her eyes widening. The Highwind had taken a beating at the crater, and it had been a miracle that Cid had gotten it back to Rocket Town. Yuffie had bet him twenty Gil that he'd never restore the hunk of junk. {Damn, there goes that money.} "Whatcha need that flying deathtrap for? Going on a honeymoon? Or is he still up for grabs?" She grinned suggestively at the pair before her and was rewarded with Tifa's cherry-red face and Cloud's innocently shocked expression.  
  
"W-what.!?"  
  
"NO! Nothing like that!" Tifa yelled, cutting off Cloud's question and waving her hands frantically.  
  
Yuffie tried, albeit unsuccessfully, to hide her laughter. Those two were too cute. If only. {No! I've already established that Cloud and I are not happening! Never! He's got Tifa.} Although he didn't seem to notice that he had the busty brunette. Still, Yuffie couldn't help but feel just a little jealous of her best friend. Cloud had been her first crush, after all. and he still made her feel just a bit light-headed at times. She shook her head and waited for Tifa to calm down and explain.  
  
When it became apparent that Tifa was going to take a while to recover, Cloud began explaining the problem to them, his voice taking on an almost boyishly serious tone. "We received a letter almost one month ago. Tiff was out shopping, so I was tending the bar at the time. asking us, the former heroes of the Planet, to find someone. It appears that a little girl was kidnapped, not really an uncommon happening in Neo Midgar, but still." He held out a picture to Yuffie. It was a photograph of a small child, no older than nine, perhaps, with long auburn hair that curled in ringlets to frame an angelic face. Her green eyes were large and expressive, and filled with an unnatural innocence for a child of the slums. "Her name's Aileen Sildera, from the Sector 4 slums." He told her.  
  
Yuffie shuddered and handed the photo back to Cloud. {Some people are real sickos.} She waited patiently while the solemn swordsman handed the photo to Vincent, who studied the girl almost absently before nodding and returning the picture too Cloud. His face gave Yuffie no hint of his thoughts, and she wondered how this could possibly not affect him. {Then again. if I could read his face like an open book then he wouldn't be Vinnie, I guess.}  
  
Cloud nodded and continued his story. "So Tiff and I asked Reeve to help investigate. He agreed, of course. Even sent the Turks to ask around, seeing as they have so many connections. And as much as I dislike the Turks, I have to admit that they've been a big help. One of their contacts gave them a vital clue as to the nature of the disappearance. It seems that Aileen was only the most recent victim. Others, most of them young women, have gone missing recently as well."  
  
"It sounds like a regular rapist to me," Vincent said from his spot in the corner. "Nothing particularly new." He sounded so bored with this conversation that Yuffie wanted to slap him. {Doesn't he realize that these are people.? Little kids even! Gawd!}  
  
Cloud smiled grimly. "Yeah, that's what we thought too. But there's more. In addition to the kidnappings in Neo Midgar, Kalm, Junon, and Costa Del Sol have also reported disappearances."  
  
"Pricilla." Yuffie's face darkened. The brat had been annoying, perhaps, but she and Yuffie had shared two traits: a hatred for ShinRa and a huge crush on Cloud. And the thought of having saved her, just to have her used for someone's sick desires.  
  
"Don't worry," Tifa's voice cut gently into Yuffie's thoughts, having sensed the younger girl's worry, "Pricilla's safe. She was too smart to be tricked into being abducted."  
  
"And she proved to be a key element in determining the appearance of the kidnappers." Cloud added. "There's three of them, from what we can gather. A man, a woman, and darkly hooded figure, who's thought to be male but no witnesses can confirm it. Each of them seems to have a different target: the man, blond, athletic build, small glasses at the edge of his nose, targets young women; the woman, green hair to her lower back, busty with low-cut dresses and a scarf that covers her ears, targets mostly men, but a witness claims that she was the one who took Aileen; and the hooded man seems to target children and teenagers." He looked worriedly a Yuffie. "I'm concerned about you."  
  
Her eyes widened. "Me? What- you think I'm dense enough to get swiped like so much materia!? Anybody tries any crap with me, I'll turn 'em into spirit energy so fast the planet won't know what to do with 'em! I whooped Sephiroth, and I can sure hell handle a few psycho kidnappers!"  
  
Cloud smiled slightly, but there was still worry evident in his eyes. "I know, Yuffie. But that man you described earlier, the thief in your room, sounds too much like the one we're looking for. And since you've seen what he looks like."  
  
"Cloud!" Tifa cried, staring at him in horror. "Don't even suggest such a thing! Black cloaks are very common, that thief could have been anyone."  
  
Vincent startled them by contributing his voice to the conversation once more. "No, Cloud's assumption is a logical one. From what I've heard, the kidnappers seem to be moving in a pattern. From Neo Midgar," he paused, and Yuffie could swear that it was for dramatic effect, "to Costa Del Sol and the towns in between. Considering that you and Cloud have been on the move, news of any occurrences in Corel or the Gold Saucer wouldn't have reached you yet. The kidnappers could very well have made it here by now."  
  
Tifa chewed worriedly at her thumbnail. "But still. What makes you think they'd come after Yuffie? They don't seem like the type to hunt someone out."  
  
"But she saw to much," Cloud said grimly. "The man was cloaked for a reason, and her knowledge of his appearance makes her a target."  
  
Yuffie fumed. Just hearing them talk about her as if she were some sort of child. "Gawd!" she exploded, unable to keep her temper down. "Screw that! I ain't some little kid, you know! So what if I saw his face? He was careless! Sloppy! And he thinks he can intimidate me by being all cool and evil? Hell, I'm more afraid of Vinnie than I am of that punk! Besides, HE ^*%$^*%ING STOLE MY STUFF!!!!!!!!!"  
  
She panted heavily, the rant having taken a lot of energy. She was aware of them staring at her, but she didn't care. She had really needed to release that frustration, and she couldn't take it anymore!  
  
"We didn't think you would, Yuffs," Cloud said gently, a small smile spreading across his face, "So, how would you like to help us find him? We were coming to ask Vincent for his help while we were here since he's so good at tracking people." He turned his mako blue eyes imploringly towards the quiet man in the corner. "Well? How about it, you two?"  
  
"I'm definitely in!" Yuffie decided, jumping up and throwing a fist in the air. "That hooded punk's gonna pay! How 'bout you, Vinnie?"  
  
Vincent trailed his blood-red eyes across the people in front of him. From Tifa's worried, hopeful face to Cloud's imploring, boyish expression and finally to Yuffie's confident, cocky grin. He shook his head. "I'm sorry. I'm afraid that I have other business."  
  
Yuffie's jaw dropped. It was clear by Cloud and Tifa's expressions that they hadn't really expected him to agree, but Yuffie hadn't even considered. that he might. not go with them. That he wouldn't help those poor children. {Baka, you should have expected he'd say no! He may have taken care of you, but he's still Vincent Valentine: a cold, self-pitying, scary bastard. Whatever.} She was just starting to rail on him when her internal danger alarm went off. Time and training had integrated an almost sixth sense for knowing when something wasn't quite right, and though she didn't always pick up on it, it had saved her before. There it was now, a sense of. wrongness to the air, hanging thickly in the kitchen like a kind of fog. Not to mention a totally rank smell. She went still, listening.  
  
Cloud and Tifa were busy talking about what they were going to do next, and Yuffie waved them silent. Vincent seemed to have sensed it to, for he drew the Death Penalty and was listening intently for sounds in the silent mansion. Yuffie and the others followed suite, abandoning their perch on the counter and readying their own weapons. Yuffie listened too, while she fingered the cold metal of her Conformer. She heard nothing, so she stared at Vincent with questioning eyes as she shrugged her confusion and was rewarded with his absent gaze as he concentrated. He stood up.  
  
"We should leave. We're not safe here." He opened the door and walked through, Yuffie and the others following him.  
  
{What's going on? Did that creep really come back for me? Gawd.} She couldn't fight the shiver of uneasiness that ran through her, and from the look of things, the only one who seemed unfazed was Vincent. {Damn his super-human coolness.}She turned her attention to being angry at the pale man and almost completely forgot her apprehension.  
  
They were halfway to the front door when it burst to pieces, wood splinters flying everywhere. The horrible smell became almost nauseating. Aw, Gawd. Yuffie wrinkled up her nose and heard Tifa gasp behind her as gray, misshapen figure stepped through the doorway, it's clothes torn, and seemingly poorly made in the first place. She didn't get to see it long before it was flung back by the force of the Death Penalty's shots.  
  
"Hurry!" Vincent told them, already running towards the door. Two feet from the door, he stopped, surprising Yuffie who almost ran into him.  
  
"Vinnie, what the hell!?" She stopped. The creature was standing up, and she saw that it wasn't mearly a monster, but looked human; a human sewn together from several different parts. Its body was too thin, one arm too long and the other too short, its head was misshapen, its skin grayish in color and its hair oily and tangled. It's eyes. they were lifeless, yes, and staring without seeing, but they seemed. sad. Tormented. Yuffie would have felt sorry for it, if it wasn't rising from its slumped position on the ground, it's chest full of cavernous bullet wounds and reaching towards her. A movement outside caught her eye and she stared past the creature, her eyes widening.  
  
There were more. Yuffie wasn't sure quite how many, but there must've been at least twenty of them. And if they kept getting up after being injured. she grimaced. "Vinnie."  
  
He nodded, his expression telling Yuffie that he saw the horde of zombies moving towards the door. A bad word behind them told her that Cloud had seen them as well.  
  
"Now what?" Tifa asked, fear evident in her voice.  
  
"We have to get out," Cloud said forcefully, switching into leader mode, "even if we have to cut through them. We can't let them trap us in here."  
  
"Wait, isn't there another way out?" Tifa inquired, turning towards Vincent. "I don't want to just rush out there! It's too dangerous!"  
  
Vincent shook his head as he sent another round of bullets at the zombie in the door. It jerked back and fell, the gun having blasted off its legs, but continued to advance, pulling its torso along with its arms. Vincent let out a disgusted grunt and began to cast something.  
  
"Life," he intoned, his arms pointed towards the struggling creature. It writhed in pain, letting out an anguished, primal wail before going still.  
  
"Go Vinnie!" Yuffie cheered. She didn't have her life materia equipped, though, and made a mental note to do so when she had the chance. She glanced at the approaching group. They moved incredibly slowly, which had given her time to think. {Let's see. chocobos are on this side. door's blocked. but.} "I know! Follow me, guys!"  
  
"Wait-where are we going?" Tifa asked as she ran after the small ninja. Her boots thudded heavily on the ground along with Cloud's and Vincent's clinking metal boots. Yuffie kept silent, preferring to save her breath for running.  
  
*Crash!* The large window at the middle stair landing exploded inward right as they were running past, showering them with jagged shards of glass. Yuffie shrieked and threw her arms up in order to defend herself, the large arm covering finally showing itself useful. She heard gunshots even before the glass was done falling, and lowered her arms to see what was happening.  
  
Two zombies had swung through the window, the ropes still dangling in the frame. These seemed different, as if whoever made them had put more thought into it. Their bodies were longer and more muscular, their arms better proportioned. And they were faster, and obviously more intelligent, seeing as they'd planned this surprise attack. Yuffie raised her shuriken and took aim. Cloud and Tifa were keeping one of them at bay, Cloud striking high with his sword while Tifa aimed kicks at the zombie's unprotected legs and back. But Vincent was having some difficulty firing at the other zombie at such close range. Death Penalty was strictly a long-range gun, after all, and the zombie was flailing around, knocking the gun to the side and swiping at his face and chest. Yuffie nodded towards its exposed back and threw the shuriken just so.  
  
And was rewarded with a shriek of outrage by the creature as it turned towards its new assailant, having momentarily forgotten Vincent. That was all the time he needed, however, to aim his gun at the zombie and fire. The creature was thrown off by the force of the impact, flying up and to the edge of the broken window. Yuffie ran forward and kicked it the rest of the way through before it could get back up.  
  
"Take that, ya bastard!" She said, sticking her tongue out at the window. "Teach you to mess with us!" She stepped back and surveyed the scene before her. Cloud and Tifa had totally trashed their zombie, Tifa having used a Phoenix Down once it was down on the ground. Tifa grinned and flashed the victory sign at Yuffie, who mirrored the gesture.  
  
"Um, I don't think we should celebrate quite yet." Cloud's voice cut through Yuffie and Tifa's happy victory celebration as he gestured towards the door. The other zombies were starting to move inside now, and were already almost to the stairs. "Hurry up, Yuffie!"  
  
"Right!" she nodded and gestured for them to follow her as she scooped up her fallen bag. She'd dropped it when the window had imploded, and she did not mean to leave it here. She ran towards the room she had stayed in, where the hooded Vincent-look-a-like had busted open the large window that had overlooked a strip of porch. She stepped out, onto the overlooking roof of the lower level, and edged herself to the side of the mansion as fast as she dared to go. She sneaked a glance backwards.  
  
Immediately behind her, Vincent seemed almost as stable up here, on this steep, slippery roof as he did on the ground. {All the balance of a damn cat.} She thought bitterly. Behind him, however, Cloud and Tifa were having a tougher time of it; Tifa simultaneously gripping both Cloud and the wall for support while Cloud tried to look cool and calm for Tifa while he, too, clung to the wall. Yuffie smiled slightly at their antics before turning back to her own progress. There; she could see the chocobo stables. Not far now. She grinned, and in her excitement, forgot to test her next step. and felt the shingle give way beneath her foot as she applied her weight to it. She began to fall.  
  
And felt strong arms wrap around her before she'd even slipped halfway down the roof. The sharp tips of the claw bit into and bruised the bare skin of her side, causing her to yelp in pain as she was pulled upright.  
  
"Are you alright?" Vincent asked, quickly removing his left claw as he steadied her with his right arm. His garnet eyes were boring into her again and she felt the need to avert her gaze once more.  
  
She nodded and smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, I just got ahead of myself, is all. Let's go!" She felt him remove his hand as she started forward again. The sun was just beginning to set, the sky turning a lovely shade of orange and seemed to bathe the landscape in gold. {Che, it looks too damn peaceful for what just happened inside! Damn deceitful weather.}  
  
She edged herself to an area overlooking the chocobo stables and readied herself for what she had to do next. She looked back and gave her instructions. "Okay, we're going to jump off here and onto the chocobo stables." She paused to make sure they understood her, and took the time to admire how great the sunset sunlight looked lighting up Cloud's hair, giving his blond spikes an orange glow. "Then we jump off there and onto the ground, run in and get our birds and then hightail it to Rocket Town. Okay? Go!" she cried, doing a short sprint and propelling herself from the roof. She landed semi-gracefully, and glared as Vincent landed flawlessly next to her, his crimson cape fluttering dramatically behind him. Then Cloud and Tifa hit the roof at about the same time, and a loud creak was all the warning Yuffie had before the section of the stables they were perched on collapsed.  
  
"Yai!" Yuffie shrieked as the wood gave way. She felt a sharp stinging on her left cheek as she fell, and cursed profusely. She landed hard on something and heard it groan in pain. She shook her head and pushed herself up with her arms. "Vinnie.?" She asked, trying to shake away the aftershock of that unexpected fall. Vincent mumbled something and tried to sit up, ebony hair splayed everywhere.  
  
"Yuffie." he stared up at her, and she realized that their heads were only about seven inches apart, "Do you mind getting off?"  
  
Yuffie blushed and attempted to stand up, but when she pulled her head away from him, he winced and moved with her, clutching at his head. She heard Tifa laugh.  
  
"Yuffie, I think he's become attached to you!" the older woman giggled, pointing to Yuffie's headband.  
  
Sure enough, wisps of raven hair were reaching from Vincent's head to the clasp of Yuffie's headband. She gasped and stopped pulling. "Oh! Sorry, Vinnie!" she moved forward and attempted to disentangle his hair. She saw him wince once more as she only succeeded in tangling it more. "Hold on, I'll.!!" She tripped and fell backwards, bringing the hapless gunman down with her. She gasped as his weight knocked the breath out of her, his forehead hitting her lower lip and splitting it.  
  
He raised himself on his elbows; his eyes filled with anger that soon turned to worry as she gasped for breath. He quickly did what he could to release his hair from the headband, though a few dark strands that had been torn off in the fall remained attached to the clasp. He then removed himself from his awkward position atop her. Yuffie felt him gingerly wipe the blood from her lip and the cut on her cheek with his hand before offering her his claw to support her as she got up. She took it and looked around.  
  
Tifa and Cloud were looking at her with mixed amusement and worry. They were more worried now, but she knew that later they'd be yuking it up, probably with Cid and Cait Sith or something. Whatever. She mumbled another 'sorry' to Vincent before turning to Rikku, who'd been warking like crazy since the roof caved in.  
  
"Shh, it's alright, Rikki," she told the distressed chocobo, and held out a green. "Come on, girl. We've got to get out of here." She mounted the golden bird and turned to Cloud and Tifa. "Where're your chocobos?"  
  
"We left them at a small forest just a bit east of here and told them to wait for us. We didn't think we'd need to make a quick getaway." Cloud explained, somewhat sheepishly.  
  
Vincent nodded from his seat on Auron, the dark bird having taken the chaos a bit better than Rikku, "Understandable. We'll need to distribute the weight evenly, then. Cloud, you ride with Yuffie. Tifa, with me."  
  
They nodded, and Cloud smiled somewhat goofily at Yuffie as he boarded the chocobo behind her. "Hope you don't mind," he said, gently gripping her waist to keep from flying off whenever Rikku started to run.  
  
"Not at all!" Yuffie flashed him a grin before turning and following Auron out of the stables. It felt nice to have Cloud so close to her. He was warm and comforting, and he smelled vaguely of some sort of spice that reminded Yuffie of the Da Chao mountains for some reason. She looked ahead, keeping close to Auron as Vincent steered the dark chocobo through the mountain ranges with the intent of doubling back and heading towards Cloud and Tifa's chocobos. Head of them, Tifa looked back and waved, and Yuffie and Cloud waved back almost in sync.  
  
The ride to the forest was boring, but not as boring as traveling alone had been. She and Cloud were keeping each other amused, one telling a story of something that had happened before or after they'd traveled together and the other commenting. Her time alone with Cloud was certainly more entertaining than her time alone with Vincent had been. At least Cloud was talking to her. She leaned back slightly and yawned, the journey wearing her out, and was fighting to keep her eyes open when Cloud spoke up.  
  
"You seem tired," he said, taking the reigns from her, "I'll steer now. Why don't you get some rest? It's still a long way to the forest."  
  
"Thanks, Cloud." She said, yawning once more. "You're great." She told him, leaning back against him and closing her eyes, enjoying the comforting feel of his body against her. "Just great."  
~*~End Chapter~*~  
  
Ok, guys, I apologize. I really suck at writing battle scenes. *Sweatdrops* And is this story developing a couple of love triangles.? Hmm.  
  
~Kai~ 


	4. Midnight Flight

~ Gosh, my first review. *Gushes* Thank you everyone who's reviewed so far for giving me such praise. I now feel even more obligated to finish.not that I wouldn't have anyways.*sighs* And now for the uniform disclaimer: Nah, I don't own these wonderful characters (except for the kidnappers and Aileen, so far) or this wonderful game. I'm merely using them as my pawns. Kya-hahaha!!!! ~  
Ninja  
~*~4~*~  
  
Yuffie yawned and slowly opened her eyes. The ground beneath her was smooth, thankfully, except for a small rock that was pressing into her lower back, causing a dull, throbbing pain. She cursed and sat up, stretched, and looked around.  
  
It was dark, and the faint flicker of low campfire flames barely illuminated the surrounding trees, casting ominous shadows around her. To her left, she could make out Tifa's figure sprawled next to one of the trees, her dark hair splayed around her. Cloud was resting a short ways away from her, the firelight shining dully off his blond spikes, his sleeping bag thrown half-off of his sprawled form. {He looks so cute!} She smiled slightly and continued to survey the area. Four chocobos were resting near a large oak tree; two golds, a black and a white. Rikku, her own gold; Auron, Vincent's black; Cecil, Cloud's gold and Rikku's brother; and Rosa, Tifa's white. Yuffie had bred them all, and Rosa had been one of her favorites; a sweet, gentle chocobo with clear blue eyes and never- ending patience. Tifa had loved her.  
  
She spied Vincent sitting by the fire. Sometimes he would scan the area and others he would just stare into the flames, lost in thought. {Probably keeping watch. Che, doesn't the man ever sleep?} She got up and went to sit next to him. The only acknowledgement he gave of her presence was a sideways glance in her direction as she sat down. She cleared her throat.  
  
"So, I thought you weren't going with us?" she asked, trying to make conversation. She was rewarded with silence. "Or are you just traveling with us until you feel like leaving?"  
  
"....."  
  
She ground her teeth. So he was going to play the recluse again, eh? She shook her head. His silence would not deter her! She pressed on. "Just curious, what's the big deal about that assistant guy, anyway? Just suddenly feel the urge to blow his brains out?"  
  
He turned to face her, an odd expression on his face. " 'Blow his brains out.?' " He echoed. Yuffie thought she saw the ghost of a smirk on his face, but it was probably just a shadow. "My business with him is mine alone. There is no need for you to interfere." His eyes were boring into hers again, and memories of drifting into those dark orbs glided through her mind. She averted her own eyes to his shoulder, deciding it was safer to glance at his face from the corner of her eyes than to stare directly at him. He seemed so much more imposing in the firelight in these dark woods than he had even in battle earlier that same day, and she was scared to meet his gaze now. {What the hell's wrong with me? I was glaring him down just this morning! Gawd!}  
  
"Geez Vinnie, no need to bite my head off." she mumbled, trying to distract herself from her discomfort. She found that the sound of her own voice often did that. "I was just curious, is all. After all, I'm the one who found that journal!" She forced a small grin and turned to watch the fire.  
  
Vincent nodded slightly, and she could feel his crimson eyes studying her face. {Sure wish I knew what went on up there.} He remained silent, and the stillness was too much for Yuffie; she let out an aggravated sigh.  
  
"I sure wish you'd tell me what's up, Vinnie. I mean, I know we were never close," which was true, as Yuffie had always been too hyper and had too sort of an attention span to really care to bother with the brooding man; and Vincent had seldom let on that he was even aware of her existence, "but we're still friends, right? And, well, you seem kinda strange lately; I mean, stranger than usual."  
  
"It doesn't concern you."  
  
She let out a short, exasperated laugh and scratched her head. "Somehow, I knew you'd say that." She yawned and threw a small twig into the flames, watching as it began to catch on fire and burn. "Whatever. just remember that I'll be around to, you know, lend you a. a." what the hell was the phrase again? A leg to lean on.? No.  
  
"A shoulder to cry on?" He finished for her. This time she was certain she saw a smirk. "Doubtful."  
  
She giggled a bit and couldn't help but feel slightly embarrassed. "Yeah, I think that was it. I'm still not sure, though. You'd have to lean way down to reach my shoulders. You'll probably strain you're back or somethin'."  
  
This time she'd managed to draw something of a chuckle from the gunman. She risked another glance in his direction to see him smiling, his eyes closed, the firelight illuminating his pale skin and shining off his dark hair. {Wow, that's the first real smile I think I've ever seen on his face. He looks. kind of. nice.} She withdrew her gaze before Vincent could catch her staring at him. She balked at herself. {Listen to me; I sound like some boy-crazed bimbo! Sure Vinnie's cute, but still! He's so. Gawd, he's so depressing! At least he hasn't started going on about that Lu- somthin' chick again.} A sound from the other side of the fire startled her out of her thoughts. "What's that?" She asked.  
  
".I believe it's Cloud snoring." Came the reply. Yuffie rose to check.  
  
Sure enough, the blond swordsman had rolled slightly, a thin trail of drool leaking from the corner of his mouth. He snored again and muttered something that sounded like 'Grab the chocobos!', but Yuffie couldn't quite tell for sure. Thoughts of Vincent fled her mind as she silently gushed over how adorable Cloud was as he slept. She giggled, also thinking of what a prime opportunity this was to check out his materia. Not to keep, of course. Just to see. Yuffie had vowed not to try and steal her friend's materia again; seeing as they'd hunt her down forever if she did. Cloud was quite persistent. She sidled up to his equipment.  
  
"What are you doing?" She heard Vincent ask behind her. After all, he didn't know about her pledge.  
  
"Just checking out the materia," she told him. "I'm not gonna take any!"  
  
"...."  
  
"Really! You can come watch me if you want! I just wanna see what he's got!"  
  
Vincent said nothing, but came and sat next to Yuffie where she was sorting through the bag of mismatched stones. She could feel his eyes boring into her as she sorted them. {Geez, doesn't anyone trust me.?} She huffed. {Gawd, I see Cloud still hasn't gotten into the idea of organization.} Once she had his extra materia sorted, she moved to examine his Ultima Weapon. {All mastered, good. Hm, Alexander, Ramuth, Neo Bahamut, Double Cut, Restore, Ultima, Added Effect and Poison. Cool. Now here, this bangle. Counter, Deathblow, Lightning All, Heal, and a level 3 Knights of the Round. Not bad. MY Double Cut is only level one. Hm. Nah, better not, Vinnie's watching. Besides, Cloud might get upset if I traded 'em.} She placed the swordsman's equipment back against the tree and grinned up at Vincent. "See? I told ya I wasn't gonna take anything!"  
  
"Hmm." he fixed her with a bemused stare.  
  
"Hey! I was good! I even organized it!" She pouted and then looked up at him with her largest, most pitiful of looks. "Hey Vinnie."  
  
"No."  
  
"C'mon, Vinnie! Let me see your materia! Please?"  
  
"I said no."  
  
"Pretty please?" She batted her eyes up at him.  
  
He fixed one of his most intense stares upon the young ninja, and she felt herself freeze up, her grin slowly fading. He was making her nervous again, and she felt her stomach starting to do flip-flops. "Um, Vinnie.?"  
  
"Yuffie," he said, and she felt the mist invade her mind again, as it had the previous evening.  
  
"Yes.?"  
  
"Stop asking me about my materia. I said no," Something in his voice compelled her to comply, to agree completely and totally with his order. She did so.  
  
"Okay." She could feel her eyes starting to glaze over, could sense her thoughts being suppressed, but could not tear her gaze from his. Her mind became blank.  
  
"Yuffie? What's wrong. Why are you acting like this?" she could hear confusion in his deep voice, see worry in those garnet eyes. She struggled to think.  
  
"I-I'm." What was she? Was there anything wrong? She didn't know.  
  
His hand flew up to stop her from speaking as Vincent's gaze went from her to the forest beyond. He seemed to be listening for something. And the red haze seemed to unwrap from her mind. She whispered, "Vinnie, what's wrong?" Then she could feel it, her danger sense, the feeling of wrongness. {It must've been drowned out when I spacing.} The chocobos were starting to shuffle and wark nervously, Rikku tugging on her ropes slightly. Other than the chocobos, the forest was completely silent, without even the sound of crickets that had been deafening earlier.  
  
"Go wake the others and tell them to get ready. I think it's time we left." And with that, Vincent rose and headed towards the chocobos, his cape flapping slightly behind him. She scrambled up and headed towards the sleeping pair, deciding that Tifa would be easier to wake than Cloud. She shook the sleeping woman slightly.  
  
"Tifa? Wake up, I think we're in trouble."  
  
"Yuffie? What's wrong?" The busty woman asked, stifling a yawn with her hand. Confusion showed in her dark eyes.  
  
"I'm not sure, but Vinnie says we gotta go. Help me wake up Cloud." She moved past Tifa and began to shake the sleeping man. He merely yawned and threw his arm out, pulling her down and snuggling her like a Teddy Bear.  
  
".Patches." he snored some more. Yuffie didn't know whether to slap him or laugh at him as she struggled to break his death-grip around her head. {This is not the time to be enjoying the feel of Cloud's muscular chest! We're in danger, and besides, Tifa's right there.}  
  
"Who are you calling 'Patches', you idiot!?" Tifa growled angrily and Yuffie head a slap above her. "Wake up, bear-boy!"  
  
Yuffie inhaled deeply as Cloud released her head, the cool air a relief to her lungs. She glanced at him. The poor boy was fingering a red handprint on his cheek, and was gazing confusedly from Tifa to Yuffie and back again.  
  
".Ow. Tifa, what'd you do that for?" he asked pitifully. She just snorted.  
  
"Cloud, we have to go!" Yuffie interrupted before the older woman could explain. "I think those. things. are on their way."  
  
Cloud instantly sat up, his swelling cheek momentarily forgotten. He began to pack, rolling up his navy sleeping bag, the same color of his outfit, and sticking it in his pack. Tifa began her packing as well, the anger in her burgundy eyes changing to that of remorse for what she'd done to Cloud. {Well, she was kinda harsh.}  
  
Yuffie continued to feel sorry for poor Cloud as she quickly packed her own bag, keeping her Conformer within easy reach. She finished and joined Vincent by the chocobos where she secured her belongings to Rikku's back. Rikku warked worriedly, blue-green eyes darting from the dark forest to Yuffie as she huddled close to her brother for comfort.  
  
"I know, Rikki. We'll be leaving jut as soon as Cloud ad Tifa are ready, so don't worry." Rikku seemed to cheer up at the thought of leaving, and she warked once more, this time in annoyance at the other two humans' slowness. Yuffie swung onto the golden bird's back as her friends readied themselves to leave. When everyone was mounted, Vincent headed them towards the mountains of Nibel, which they'd have to cross in order to reach Rocket Town.  
  
They were almost through the woods when a demonic 'Waaaarrrrrk' sounded through the night. The first cry was followed by others, several of them, at various points behind them and advancing. Yuffie felt her heart beat faster; she didn't expect the creatures to have chocobos. Cloud signaled for the group to band closer to him.  
  
"We need a strategy!" He told them, their chocobos running so close together they almost seemed a single, large, multicolored chocobo. "Vincent, you and Yuffie stay near the rear and take out any that get too close. We'll try to lose 'em in the mountains. Tiff, call Cid and tell him to have the Highwind ready for takeoff!"  
  
The group nodded their understanding and spread out slightly as they came to the end of the trees. The night was starry and clear, and the moon was almost half full and very bright. Yuffie was thankful for these conditions as they made it easier for her to see what was going on. She glanced back.  
  
Several dark shapes were emerging from the trees. Yuffie couldn't make them out clearly, but she counted at least ten mounted chocobos, the birds' eyes glowing bright red, even from the distance. She could hear their enraged and eerie 'waaarrrrrks' as they began to gain on them. She gripped her shuriken tightly.  
  
One of the chocobo riders pulled ahead, gaining dangerously on Yuffie's group. He was almost within her throwing range when she heard a loud bang to her right. The chocobo stumbled and fell, throwing its rider forward. She turned in time to see Vincent face forward once more, his Sniper CR glinting in the moonlight. {Huh, I didn't even know he still had that gun. Though I guess it shouldn't surprise me, since I keep at least one of every weapon I've ever owned.} Not with her, of course. They were tactfully displayed, scattered about her house, in various places. Generally the floor.  
  
She strained her eyes looking ahead of them. The Nibel Mountains loomed ominously ahead of them, and Yuffie could make out the faint lights of Nibelheim once more. It almost reminded her of last night, when she and Rikku had ridden in, seeking shelter and finding Vincent. Well she could definitely say that her stay in Nibelheim hadn't been boring; in fact, there was more adventure than she'd cared to find. Not that she minded, really, it was just that.  
  
*BLAM!* She looked back in time to see another chocobo fall.  
  
.This wasn't quite what she'd been expecting. Moonlight chocobo chases and zombies with Cloud, Tifa, and Vincent of all people. She turned around in time to see one of the dark birds within her range and threw, her shuriken flying gracefully through the air and slicing through the creature's skinny legs before returning. She grinned, having finally taken one out before Vincent had noticed it.  
Cid Highwind had been drinking his tea when the call had come in.  
  
"(*&^%, Shera, answer the (&^%^in' phone!" he'd yelled. She was right there next to it, dammit!  
  
Shera had sighed and picked up the PHS, as she'd been about to do when he'd yelled. "Hello? Yes, this is Shera. What? Hold on," she'd handed the phone over to the foul-mouthed pilot. "It's for you, dear."  
  
He'd taken a drag on his cigarette and taken the phone from her. "Yeah, this's Cid. Yo, Tifa, how the &^%$ are ya? WHAT!?" he'd jumped, he tea spilling over the front of his shirt. "&^%, right now!? Sure, she'll be ready. Yeah, see ya."  
  
"What was that about, Cid?" Shera'd asked as she went to get him a clean shirt.  
  
"Grab my *&%^in' gear while yer in there! Yours too, I ain't havin' ya abducted while I'm gone! I'll be at the Highwind," and he'd left, leaving a very confused Shera to collect their gear.  
  
Now he was out here, in the dead of night, while he and his crew got the renovated Highwind working once again. It made him proud that his new airship was finally going to see adventure; it pissed him off that it had to be in the middle of the goddamn night. He threw his burned out cigarette to the ground and cursed at one of his crew, who'd dropped one of the crates of tools to the ground.  
  
"Damn incompetent SOB." he muttered to himself as he lit himself another smoke and took a drag. He turned in time to see Shera approaching, her arms full of equipment; his spear, materia, clothes, and. "A frying pan, Shera? What the hell are ya gonna do with a *^%$ing frying pan? We got a cook."  
  
She sighed as Cid took some of the stuff from her and followed him onto the ship. "Cid, this is my lucky frying pan, remember?"  
  
He remembered, all right. Shera'd smashed him in the face with that damned frying pan he day they'd met. Accidentally, of course; she'd thought him to be a burglar when he'd tried to bust into the hangar after leaving his keys inside. She never traveled without the damn thing, but Cid still couldn't resist hassling her about it. "Yeah, yeah." he said, dumping the stuff in his- *their*- room and heading towards the deck of the ship, Shera following.  
  
"Cid, you never told me what was going on." Shera complained.  
  
"Yeah, Cloud and them've got themselves in some deep &*^$in' shit," he leaned against the railing, scanning the fields for signs of the bastards.  
  
"Does this have anything to do with the kidnappers?"  
  
He shrugged. "Dunno. Probably. Tifa wasn't exactly in a talkative ^%$#ing mood at the moment." Then he saw it, three chocobos heading towards them at high speeds. He shouted for his crew. "Hey ya *^$%ers! Get ready to house three, wait, four more of the damn birds (damn, that %^$#er's hard to see) and prepare for takeoff immediately after the %^$#ers are on board!" He turned to Shera. "Ya better get inside unless ya feel like getting thrown off the *^$#in' ship. I'll be there in a minute."  
  
She complied immediately, turning to give him a small peck on the cheek before leaving, to which he blushed and stuttered slightly at. He then turned attention back to the approaching chocobos and was surprised to see the host following them. Six other shapes were behind them and closing in. Even from here, he could see the glowing red eyes of the enemy, and hear the unnatural 'waaaarrrrrrrk' echoing through the night. He swore, and frantically motioned for them to hurry. Once they were safely inside the Highwind, he scrambled to the door as the airship began to lift off.  
".And then Vincent ran out ammo, so we had to just run for it." Cid and his crew were listening intently as Tifa retold the story of what had happened. Yuffie, however, was sprawled in a corner and waiting for the Tranquilizer to kick in. {Gawd I hate this thing.}  
  
She looked up when she heard Cid laugh and saw him point to Cloud's cheek, which still bore the red imprint of Tifa's hand. "What the hell happened to you, Strife?"  
  
Cloud shrugged. "I'm not sure, actually. I was asleep and just suddenly felt this sharp pain. and then Tifa was glaring at me and Yuffie was sprawled out next to her. I still don't know why she did it."  
  
Tifa went red for a moment but was again interrupted, this time by Shera, who had just returned with a tray of tea. A sparkle caught the busty barkeeper's eye; the sparkle of a large diamond on Shera's left hand. "What's that?"  
  
"Hmm? Oh, this?" She held it out for Tifa to examine. It was a diamond cut in such a way that Tifa could make out a small figure of a crescent moon the middle. The silver band had two stars on either side of the gem, and definitely reflected Cid's obsession with space. Tifa let out a squeal.  
  
"Oh Shera, it's gorgeous! I'm so happy for you! When did he ask you?" She glanced at Cid, who was turning quite red at the mention of his engagement, and grinned.  
  
"Well, he was quite romantic about it. He took me flying on the Highwind about a month ago, when he'd gotten it perfectly restored. He took me out on the deck, the night was gorgeous, and he stared into my eyes." she paused for dramatic effect, and Tifa, Yuffie (sick though she was), and even Cloud leaned forward in anticipation. Even Vincent seemed mildly interested in her story. "Pulled out a dark blue box, took out this ring, slipped it on my finger and said. 'Shera, will you &%^$ing marry me?'."  
  
A curse and a loud thump took their attention from Shera to Cid, who was sprawled on the floor in a faint of humiliation. Shera smiled. "After that, how could I say no?"  
  
Cloud's eyes widened at the unconscious pilot. "Um, don't you think we should get him to his room or something?"  
  
Tifa giggled slightly, not heeding Cloud's words. "Aw, how cute! I didn't know Cid was so easily embarrassed! Anyway, when's the wedding supposed to be?"  
  
"We're not sure."  
  
Yuffie began to tune out the two giggling women as she envisioned her own wedding day. Walking down the aisle, her father's arm in hers, the white ceremonial robes flowing around her; her groom waiting by the priest, his robes a dark blue, a goofy smile on his boyish face, his mako eyes glowing even brighter. Her father would leave to sit off to the side while she joined hands with her blond husband-to-be and they would kneel before the priest as he gave them his blessing. He would pull her forward, their lips would meet, and she'd. Urk! {Oh gawd, there went that romantic fantasy.} she thought bitterly as she pushed the soiled bucket away from her, the smell making her want to heave again. She stood up.  
  
"Um, if you'll excuse me. IthinkI'mgonnagoliedowninmyroom!" she blurted out as she ran for the hall, her stomach threatening to heave up whatever could possibly be left in her stomach. {I must be losing last week's meals as well. I haven't even eaten since breakfast, and I know that's gone.} She threw open the door to her old room and dived for the bed. She didn't get sick when she was sleeping. She groaned and fell onto her stomach, grabbing another bucket from beneath the bed and losing what had to have been her liver or something into it and shoving it back where it'd come from. She then turned on her back and thought about what was happening.  
  
Cid and Shera were getting married. Good for them; Yuffie'd always thought they were a cute couple, even if Cid was a bastard sometimes. She was traveling with four of her old companions again, and falling for Cloud once more, even though she'd promised herself she wouldn't. After all, Tifa liked him, and Tifa was like a big sister to her. Yuffie didn't want to incur the older woman's hatred by breaking her heart and stealing the object of her affection. {But still. I just can't help it! And then there's Vincent.}  
  
Yuffie had felt a sort of attraction to the Gothic gunman as well, though she'd passed it off as fatigue and hormones. After all, he was hot, all dark and cool and stuff, but she found him too. well, Vincenty for her tastes. {Way to depressive. And he's really creeping me out lately. Even more than usual. Now Cloud.} She sighed deeply and threw an arm over her eyes.  
  
She hated being a teenager. Almost as much as she hated flying.  
  
~*~End Chapter~*~  
  
~Yeah! Chapter 4 is done! What's going to happen next? Will they all crash and die? Well it'd certainly make this story shorter. Nah, I have a few ideas left, still.~  
  
~Kai~ 


	5. Snow and Shopping

~ Thank you everyone who's reviewed so far, your kind words mean worlds to me. Here's our Disclaimer!: Nope, still don't own 'em! I keep hoping Squaresoft'll give 'em to me, through. ~  
Ninja  
~*~5~*~  
  
Yuffie groaned, clutching her stomach as she stumbled down the hall. This flight had not been good to her, in fact she felt sicker now than she'd ever had before. She kept her eyes trained on the ground before her, and didn't notice the figure stepping out of a door in front of her until she collided with it.  
  
"...Ow," she mumbled as she squinted up at whoever she'd run into. "Oh... hey Vinnie.... sorry about that...." She stood there and grabbed onto his arm for support as a wave of dizziness overcame her. She stared up at him. "Do you know.... if we're landing soon? I can't.... ugh, take much more of this...."  
  
A look of sympathy crossed Vincent's face as he gazed down at her. "I believe that Cloud was thinking of splitting up and heading for Cosmo Canyon and Icicle Inn." He might have said more, but at that moment he was interrupted by the PA system.  
  
"Attention Yuffie and Vincent: get yer lazy asses to the ^$^*in' Operation Room! We've gotta *$^%in' meeting!"  
  
"Well I see he's better...." Yuffie mumbled, still clutching Vincent's arm weakly. "C'mon, Vinnie... let's go...." She began to stumble towards the room so often used for meetings. {Gawd... At least this usually means we're about to land. I'll jump off this damn airship if I stay here much longer...} She groaned and buried her face in Vincent's crimson cloak, completely oblivious to the odd looks the ship's crew was giving them or the slight blush that colored her friend's pale face. She knew only the pain in her gut...  
  
She heard the loud booming sound of the metal doors opening before her, and turned her head slightly so that she could see a bit of the room. Cloud was standing at the front, as usual, Tifa sitting off to his right. Cid lounged to the left, his feet propped on the table as he leaned back and puffed his cigarette, Shera sitting next to him. They all turned to look at her, and this time she was aware of the strange glances they cast her way.  
  
"...What?" she asked irritably as Vincent led her to the seat nearest them. She grimaced in agony as another stab of pain wrenched through her gut. "The hell you all lookin' at...?" She noticed Tifa discreetly indicating to her arm, and noticed that she was rather... close... to Vincent. She blushed slightly and released him, much to his relief. "Thanks, Vinnie..." She glared at the rest of them. "Well? We landin' or not?"  
  
Cloud cleared his throat and began his idea. "Well, I was planning on our splitting and heading in two different directions: group one will head for Icicle Inn and see if the kidnappers show up while they search for clues; group two will do the same in Cosmo Canyon and see if Red's managed to get any leads. Are there any questions?"  
  
Cid released a puff of smoke and looked up. "Yeah, how about Wutai? Outta the way, but nicer than bein' a &*$^in' Popsicle. Maybe another group could check there?"  
  
Cloud nodded his agreement. "Right, and someone needs to warn them about what's going on; they don't seem to hear much of the outside world. Alright, so who's going to go where?"  
  
Yuffie spoke up. "Where're we closest to? I'm goin' there..."  
  
"Actually, we're fairly close to Icicle Inn. But are you sure...?"  
  
"Yeah, don't you want to visit your home?" Tifa chimed in. "I mean, you're probably best suited for it..."  
  
Yuffie shook her head savagely. "No! I can't go back 'til I'm through with my quest! It's not allowed..." she leaned forward, holding her stomach. "Lemme off at Icicle Inn... I can't take this damn ship anymore!"  
  
Cloud smiled and turned to Cid and Shera. "And where would you like to go?"  
  
"Wutai sounds nice," Shera said politely, smiling. "I've always wanted to go there..."  
  
"Alright, Shera an me'll go to Wutai," Cid said, glancing at Cloud. "That is, if that's cool with our fearless &%#$in' leader."  
  
"Sure. Vincent? You going, or should we drop you off somewhere else?"  
  
Vincent ran his hand through his hair, pushing aside the ebony strands from his face. "Icicle Inn," he said simply.  
  
"Well, I guess that leaves me and Tiff to Cosmo Canyon, then." He turned and flashed a boyish grin at his best friend. "So, is everyone sure? Yuffie, you and Vincent should get ready, then. I think we're just about there."  
  
"Thank Gawd!" Yuffie declared, standing up and wobbling slightly as another wave of nausea hit. She took a moment to steady herself against the table before heading out the door. "Come get me when it's time ta go. I'm goin' back to my room..."  
  
The ship seemed to lurch from beneath Yuffie's feet as she reached the landing, causing her to lose her balance and sending her sprawling into the railing. She let out a sharp hiss of pain as her body collided solidly with the unyielding metal bars, and steadied herself there for a moment as she regained her breath. She then let out a loud curse as the ship lurched once more, causing the still unstable ninja to reel backwards.  
  
Yuffie felt herself hit something warm and solid, and wondered vaguely if she should apologize. Deciding she felt too miserable to bother, she began making her way to the stairs again when she felt herself being lifted up. "Whoa! The hell!?" she cried as she flailed her limbs about in an effort to escape. She opened her eyes to a sea of crimson cloth and could see the heels of golden boots as they clanked across the metal floor. She was then aware of the warmth of an arm resting lightly on her legs and blushed as she squirmed slightly.  
  
"V-Vinnie!? Whaddaya think yer doin'?" She demanded from her awkward position across his shoulder.  
  
"....."  
  
{Grrr.} "Vinnie! Put. Me. DOWN! I-urk!" Yuffie stopped yelling at him as she fought to maintain control over the contents of her stomach. She fumed and glared at any of the crew she caught staring at her but decided against doing much more than mumbling death threats at them. {Honestly, I feel like a little kid. What the hell's his problem!? Carrying me like I'm some helpless child.Gawd!}  
  
She remained still as Vincent carried her down the hall, the combination of embarrassment and nausea working to keep her semi-calm. She barely managed to fight off her sickness as the world shifted once more when he moved to sling her off his shoulders. She glared up at him from her position on her bed and pouted. "You didn't have to do that!"  
  
He turned an amused gaze at her. "You were moving too slowly. We are almost at our destination, and we must hurry."  
  
Yuffie continued to sulk, mainly because she knew he was right. She got off her bed as he was turning to leave and continued to glare daggers at the back of his head. He, of course, remained oblivious, and she sighed in defeat as she began to gather her few belongings. Her bag was lighter now, with the loss of her diaries, and this fact fueled her anger and determination to find bastard thief who'd wronged her.  
  
In fact, by the time the announcement was made for her to report to the deck, she was so worked up that her motion sickness was nearly forgotten. The spunky young ninja was actually beginning to air box as she made her way for her destination. She raced up the stairs and almost bowled over Cid, who happened to be obliviously standing in front of the door.  
  
"&(%!!!," he yelled, picking himself up from the ground, rope ladder in hand. He turned on her. "Damn brat, watch where yer goin', dammit!"  
  
Yuffie frowned. "Maybe you should watch where yer standin', old man! People shouldn't stand in front of doors unless they wanna get hit!"  
  
"Okay, guys, calm down. Yuffie's right, you know," Tifa stepped between them, arms outstretched. She turned to Yuffie. "I'm glad to see you're feeling better."  
  
The young ninja shrugged. "Well, I found somethin' to take my mind off being sick, and the tranquillizer helped a little. Besides, I'm getting offa this deathtrap soon, anyway, right?" She looked around, noticing with some confusion that they were still flying. She glanced questioningly at Tifa, awaiting an explanation.  
  
The martial artist caught Yuffie's glance and gestured towards the rope ladder that Cid was preparing. "Cloud thought it'd be faster to just lower you and Vincent into the town, rather than you travel there all the way from that patch of grass. You don't mind, do you?"  
  
Yuffie shrugged. "Whatever. Just as long as I get off this %^$&ing ship, I'll be fine." She turned to Cid. "Yo, old man, hurry it up, will ya?"  
  
The pilot turned to glare in her direction. "You can *%$#in' wait, brat! Besides, Vincent ain't even $%*^in' here yet."  
  
As if on cue, the door to the deck of the Highwind opened, hitting Cid square in the back and throwing him down again. Vincent stopped and glanced down at the fallen man, his dark hair whipping wildly in the wind. "You really shouldn't stand in front of the door." He told the pilot, before moving on and joining Yuffie and Tifa.  
  
"...&(%*ing ingrates..." Cid mumbled, lighting up a cigarette to replace the one he'd lost when he was knocked down and taking a long drag.  
  
Yuffie listened idly as Tifa explained the plan to Vincent, and occasionally threw insults and 'helpful tips' at Cid, who cursed profusely as he secured the rope. She smiled to herself before refocusing on Tifa's speech.  
  
"...kidnappers to show. If they show. I mean, Icicle Inn is pretty remote. So that's all, I guess. Any questions?" Tifa looked from Vincent to Yuffie.  
  
{Yeah... Do you mind repeating that whole speech again.?} "Nope, I think I've got it! How bout you, Vinnie?" She grinned nervously as she pretended to ignore the doubtful looks they were giving her. "...What?"  
  
Vincent simply shook his head. "Nothing. Let's get going." He turned towards the ladder and began to secure himself to it, his crimson cape flapping dramatically behind him as he did so.  
  
Yuffie pouted inwardly, wishing that she had something that looked dramatic and cool as well, before following his example. {Let's see, wrap this part around my waist... step into this loop, and... pray to Leviathan that I don't fall. Okay, I think I've got it!} "Alright, let's get off this crappy machine!" She cheered as Vincent began to lower himself off, her right behind him.  
  
The descent from the Highwind was fairly easy, since Yuffie had no real problem with heights, however there were a few times when she thought she was slipping. The rope bit into her skin, despite the fact that most of her weight was supported on the rung of the ladder, and the air was cold. She could feel her teeth beginning to chatter and she wondered why the hell she hadn't taken the time to put on a jacket. Then she remembered: she had no jacket.  
  
"GAWD DAMN IT!!!!!!!" she screamed as they touched the ground, the snow moving up to her knees and falling down into her sneakers. The wind was biting into her exposed stomach and arms, and she was rapidly losing feeling in her legs as she stepped out of the rope. She turned to Vincent and noticed that he still seemed perfectly fine.  
  
"C-c-come on, V-Vinnie," She stuttered. She could feel her lips turning blue as she headed towards the town. "L-l-let's f-find some shel- ter." Her progress towards the town was cut short as she felt something soft and warm being wrapped around her small frame. She looked down and saw the scarlet cloth of Vincent's cape as he moved his hands away. She looked questioningly at him but he ignored her and continued onwards.  
  
{Well, I guess I got to wear something dramatic after all.} She smiled slightly and snuggled deeper into the recesses of the cape. A smell was wafting up gently from the fabric and Yuffie closed her eyes as she walked, trying to identify the scent. {Hm... Roses... and... huh, I'm not sure... tea, maybe? No...} She eventually gave up, since the rose scent was stronger anyway. She opened her eyes in time to see Vincent heading towards Professor Ghast's old home and followed. {Heh, pretty smart heading here, Vinnie. This way we won't have to pay for a room...}  
  
She let out a sigh of relief as she entered the dark house, the biting wind now absent from her still exposed face. She moved past the machinery and down the stairs towards the bed, where she moved the covers aside and pulled them over herself in a huddle. She sank deeply into the fabric before realizing that the snow on Vincent's cape was making the bed damp. She reluctantly got up and removed the red garment, hanging it on the edge of the headboard to dry before snuggling back into the covers.  
  
She had just gotten the area around her nice and warm when Vincent came down the stairs, his equipment bag in hand. He sat on the edge of the bed, and Yuffie watched as he began polishing the Death Penalty. {Probably to keep it from rusting. This snow gets everywhere...} He worked swiftly and quietly, the only sounds coming from the cloth wiping over the metal of the gun. His face was intently focused on his current task, his long ebony hair flowing everywhere and still slightly damp from the snow. She glanced away as she tried to clear her head.  
  
"Yuffie..." the young ninja turned to face him once more, but his eyes remained glued to his work. "Perhaps you should go buy some suitable snow clothes. You can't stay here under the covers forever."  
  
She sighed and pouted slightly, though the effect was lost on Vincent, who wasn't looking at her. "Aw man! I just got these covers warmed up! And you're gonna send me out into the cold again? Meanie..." She stood up and stretched slightly before flinging Vincent's cape around herself once more. "Well alright then. Later!" She called as she headed for the stairs. {Maybe I should check out a materia store while I'm out...}  
  
The icy wind stung her cheeks once more as she emerged from the sanctity of the warm shelter behind her. She pulled the collar of the crimson cape up over her mouth and nose and the scent of rose pervaded her senses again. She then found herself walking down the road towards a clothes shop she'd found the last time she and her friends had visited this town. She smiled as she passed by a couple of children building a snowman and wondered how monstrous a person could be to kidnap such beings. She shook her head in disgust and continued on until she found herself in front of the shop. She entered, and a welcoming rush of warm air hit her as she closed the door behind her. She looked around.  
  
The store was nearly deserted, save for a man and woman near the coats and an elderly lady behind the counter. The saleswoman smiled sweetly and bid Yuffie welcome to her shop.  
  
"Come in, dear, have a look around. If you need any help be sure to let me know." Yuffie smiled back as she lowered the collar and took a breath. The store smelled of leather and new clothes, a smell that Yuffie had always found pleasing.  
  
She was examining a rather nice looking green jacket when an exasperated sigh behind her made her turn slightly.  
  
"...Honestly, what would you know? You're only a guy, after all. I need a woman's opinion!" Yuffie felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to find herself face-to-face with the woman she'd seen earlier. She was beautiful, with a pale complexion barely highlighted by a light pink tint to her cheeks and golden-yellow eyes that shined in the light of the shop. Long, wavy green hair tumbled over her shoulders and ended at her lower back. "Excuse me, miss, but could you help me? You seem like you have good taste."  
  
"Um, maybe. How?" Yuffie blinked in surprise, not expecting to be drawn into their conversation.  
  
The woman sighed and gestured towards her companion; a tall, athletic looking man with messy blond hair and gray eyes that were almost completely obscured by his glasses, which perched precariously on the edge of his nose. He smiled charmingly and pushed the offending spectacles back up. Yuffie tore her gaze away from the handsome man and back to the lady, who sighed deeply. "You see, this man here lacks any fashion sense whatsoever."  
  
"Hey, that's not true!" he objected, though he was smiling slightly, as if he agreed that it was.  
  
"Though you can hardly blame him. He is a guy, after all, and a man with taste is rare." She was smiling at her companion, obviously enjoying the jokes she was directing towards him. "So you see, I need another woman's assistance. I just can't decide which coat I should get!" She turned her golden eyes to Yuffie in a pleading look. "So... what do you say? Miss...?"  
  
"Just call me Yuffie," she grinned broadly at the green-haired woman before her. "Sure, I'll help. Which ones are you looking at?"  
  
"Really!? Wonderful!" the older woman clasped her hands under her chin and hopped around excitedly, her ample chest bouncing as she did so. {Geez, this lady's got bust to rival Tifa...} Yuffie thought grimly of her own breasts, which were only just starting to develop and frowned slightly. She then pushed all thoughts of bust size from her mind as she went to assist this overly enthused woman.  
  
"Miss Yuffie?" A soft, masculine voice sounded to her left and she turned to face the blond man. "My companion seems to have forgotten her manners. My name is Ciro," he bowed and took her hand in his and kissed it lightly, causing Yuffie to blush. "And my companion is Ana. Honestly, Ana, you should show some courtesy when talking with strangers."  
  
Ana rolled her eyes and held up the coats for Yuffie's inspection. "Yeah, yeah... sorry, Yuffie, dear. I just get carried away sometimes! I don't mean to be rude..."  
  
"No, that's fine!" Yuffie assured her, looking from one coat to the next. One was a deep red and short, the other was longer and simply black with gold accents. Both looked warm and comfortable, and both looked stunning on the older woman.  
  
"So what do you think?" She twirled, the black coat flying out a bit. "This or the red?"  
  
Yuffie thought awhile before finally answering, "Hm... I think the black looks the best. It brings out your eyes more."  
  
Ana clapped her hands joyfully before rounding on Ciro. "See? I told you! We women have a sixth sense for these things you know."  
  
He sighed. "Then why did you even bother to ask me...?"  
  
"Because I had to make certain!" she turned to Yuffie and smiled. "So, Yuffie, are you here to find yourself something nice? I can help, if you'd like!"  
  
"Sure," Yuffie smiled nervously before glancing around the store. She found herself liking Ana and Ciro, though Ciro seemed distant despite his charming words and smiles. Ana reminded her vaguely of Aeris when the ancient used to take Yuffie shopping, but seemed a bit more immature. The woman was currently glancing around the room with a critical eye.  
  
"So, what sort of jacket are you looking for? Traveling, town use, a simple dress up jacket, or perhaps a multi-use? Is it for personal comfort, or is there perhaps a cute guy you wanna impress?" She paused and took in Yuffie's blush. "It's a guy, isn't it? I knew it!"  
  
"No! No, it's just to stop the cold! Actually, I need more than just a jacket; I need a few outfits." Yuffie removed the cape to show Ana her current attire. "This just ain't cuttin' it."  
  
"Ooh, stylish!" Ana exclaimed, examining Yuffie's clothes. "Wutaian, right? I recognize this stitching style. My father was a merchant, you know. He got lots of goods from Wutai. I remember they made the finest silks." her eyes became distant briefly before snapping back to reality. "But enough of that, you need a winter wardrobe! I'm sure we'll find the perfect outfits for you!"  
  
The two women then spent several hours browsing through the store. Ana would hold a random outfit up to Yuffie and reject it on the basis of being 'the wrong shade of (insert color here)' and put it back on the shelf. Whenever a garment did pass her inspection, she'd have Yuffie try it on and model it for her and Ciro. Yuffie thought the poor man was handling it quite well, though he'd fallen asleep in a chair numerous times. He'd always smile at whatever Yuffie was wearing and grace her with a compliment before asking Ana if they were done yet.  
  
They'd eventually decided on four different outfits and a coat by the time the shopkeeper told them the store was about to close. Yuffie thanked her new friends for their help as she paid the elderly lady, who had smiled all through their antics.  
  
"It's so nice to see young people so excited about winter clothes again. We get so seldom visitors nowadays that seeing you all just warms my heart."  
  
Yuffie smiled at the woman and threw Vincent's cape around herself again before taking her bags and heading for the door. Ciro and Ana were waiting for her.  
  
"Oh, Yuffie, I had so much fun! I do hope we see each other again, soon. It's so seldom that I get to spend time with such an wonderful and energetic person!" Ana gushed as she smiled and shook Yuffie's hand tearfully.  
  
"Yes, Ana needs a friend who can keep up with her!" Ciro joked before bowing and kissing Yuffie's hand once more. "It's been a pleasure meeting you, Miss Yuffie. I have a feeling we'll meet again soon." And with that, he and Ana left, Ana wearing the coat that Yuffie had helped her pick out.  
  
She smiled and began her trek for Professor Ghast's former home. The sun was just beginning to set again, and Yuffie wondered what Vincent would say to her for staying out so late. {Probably nothing; I don't think that gothic jerk cares for anyone but himself and his chocobo.} She threw open the door to the house.  
  
"Honey! I'm home!" she called as she readjusted her bags and made her way towards the stairs. She was greeted by Vincent's silent figure sitting on the bed, a book lying absently beside him. "...What?"  
  
His blood red eyes bore deeply into hers and she thought she saw anger in them. "I was about to go searching for you."  
  
Yuffie blinked in confusion and lowered her eyes to his shoulder, unable to take his gaze. She scratched her head. "Well, it took me a while to find the right clothes. And I met some nice people, so I talked with them for a while. But why the hell do you care? I'm not a little kid, ya know!" She huffed indignantly before moving to set her bags by the bed.  
  
"I'm aware of that. However, times are dangerous, and anyone you meet could be a kidnapper." He told her, his eyes boring into the back of her head as she gathered her nightclothes. "Older people than you are being abducted."  
  
She sighed as she headed off to change. "Yeah, I know. But I'll be fine, so you don't need to worry about me, Vinnie. I'm more than enough for any freaky felons!" She grinned at him before closing the door and readying herself for bed. She emerged from the bathroom clad in a warm blue nightgown that hung down to her knees. She walked towards the bed and stopped, her eyes trained on Vincent.  
  
"...Yes?" he asked, glancing up from his book.  
  
"Vinnie... there's only one bed," she stared at him, "Where're we gonna sleep?"  
  
Vincent didn't seem to immediately grasp her meaning, but his eyes widened slightly as he pondered over the implications. He looked around. It was a large bed, certainly big enough for two, with two sets of blankets and several pillows. He cleared his throat. "The bed seems perfectly fine with me."  
  
Yuffie's eyes grew large and she stared at him in disbelief. "Vinnie! I can't sleep with you! It'd feel... weird."  
  
Vincent let out a small smirk. "Weird, hm?" He shook his head, abandoning whatever reply he'd originally thought of. "We'll be fine if you stay on one side and I on another. We could place some pillows in the middle to separate us." He glanced at her disbelieving face. "It's this or the floor, and I am not sleeping not the floor."  
  
Yuffie shook her head in defeat. "Alright, but you'd better keep yer paws to yourself, Vinnie!" She smirked at him. "I know how much of a pervert you really are, you know. You're just dying to sleep with a gorgeous girl like me..."  
  
She giggled as a light blush spread across his face before climbing onto the opposite side of the bed and placing all but two pillows between them. She curled into the blankets and thought a bit about Cloud and Vincent and finally Ana and Ciro. She really was having a strange week. The darkness eventually overtook her and she drifted to sleep, Vincent still reading on the opposite side of the bed.  
  
~*~End Chapter~*~  
  
Whew, finally! Sorry this took so long, I had temporary writer's block and a ton of schoolwork all in one! O_o* But now it is complete! Kya- hahahaha!!!! Ooh, Yuffie's sleeping with Vincent? My goodness...  
  
~Kai~ 


	6. Return of the Cloaked Man

~ NO! NOT VINNIE! HOW CAN YOU EVEN JEST ABOUT KILLING HIM!? (j/k) *Holds her new Vincent statue protectively* Er, yeah. That's the first time anyone's ever threatened to kill one of my loves... *Sweatdrop* Anyway, I'm glad I seem to be keeping them somewhat in character. I'd have to slap myself otherwise, since I always complain about Vincents that act like Barret for no apparent reason. Unless it's a spoof or I've had too much caffeine, then I think it's kinda funny in a sick, twisted sort of way. ^_^* **Sighs** Ah well, let's get on with it. Disclaimer: Still wishing, but I own naught but Aileen and the kidnappers...~  
Ninja  
~*~6~*~  
  
Vincent sighed deeply, allowing his sleep-addled brain the time it needed to fully awaken and begin it's proper functioning. He'd slept fairly well, considering the fact that Yuffie had tossed and turned wildly on the opposite side of the pillow barrier. He was used to stillness, after all, and the young girl's hyperactivity, even in sleep, was an affront on his routine. He began to turn, when he noticed an unusual weight on his chest. He moved his arm from his eyes and peered down. And was met with a mass of dark brown hair.  
  
It appeared that Yuffie had managed to clear the dividing line between them in her sleep and he, through his efforts to ignore her earlier movements, had remained unaware of her presence. Now here she was, warm and soft and practically wrapped around him, her head under his chin and her left arm thrown lightly across his chest. He inhaled sharply, catching a faint scent of lily, and closed his crimson eyes tightly as he tried to gather his thoughts, which had begun to head in unwanted directions.  
  
*My, isn't she forward? Very soft...* Chaos's voice rumbled lowly through his mind.  
  
{Not... now, Chaos!} Vincent commanded. But she was indeed soft, her breath issuing lightly onto his cool skin where his shirt was unbuttoned, causing him to shudder slightly.  
  
*Oh? I'd say you rather enjoy this close contact...*  
  
{I said shut up! Nosy demon...} He could feel her heart beating softly against his arm, and he began to lose himself in its steady rhythm. He shook his head frantically, trying to rid himself of these disturbing thoughts. {This is Yuffie, after all. She's young, and innocent, and... and...}  
  
*Warm and curvy and wrapped nicely around you?*  
  
{Yes... No! NO! Chaos, dammit! This is wrong!} A grim look settled across Vincent's pale face as he began moving the slumbering ninja. She, however, seemed to have other plans as her arm squeezed more tightly around him. He'd managed to move her from half atop him to wrapped around his left arm when he stopped.  
  
He stared at her, taking in the curve of her face, how it was tilted just so... connecting to her slender neck and curving into a graceful shoulder. Vincent gazed, as if lost in thought though none came to him, and leaned forward. The tilt of her head... seemed to beckon, to invite him to lay his head against her, and he saw no reason not to...  
  
*Vincent?*  
  
{...}  
  
He was beyond Chaos, beyond reasoning. All he could see was the inviting smoothness of Yuffie's shoulder, and he lowered his head to lean against it, his mouth pressed against her neck. He could feel the steady pulse of blood beneath his lips. {So warm...}  
  
*Vincent? What in the seven hells are you doing!? VINCENT!*  
  
Chaos's words seemed distant, though they rang in his head more loudly than gunshots. Vincent took no notice, as he parted his lips slightly, nipping delicately at Yuffie's tender flesh. Rational thought had fled him, and he was acting on some deep, unknown instinct. He increased the pressure slightly, drawing a quiet whimper from the seeping girl.  
  
*VINCENT!*  
  
"Um...Vinnie...? Ah, VINCENT! WHAT THE HELL!?!?"  
  
Vincent blinked in surprise, Yuffie's voice cutting though him like a knife. His eyes widened and he pulled away swiftly, staring in horror at the deep red marks on her throat. {What was I doing...?} He barely noticed the hand moving towards him before a loud *Smack!* split through the silence followed by an incredible stinging on his cheek. He gazed ashamedly at the girl before him.  
  
"Oh my GAWD, Vinnie! I can't believe you just pulled something like that! This time you were taking advantage of my innocent state; you can't deny it!" Her blue-gray eyes were wide with disbelief, and she had moved away from him so that she was almost back to her side of the bed, her hand gripping the place at her soft neck where he'd nipped her. Her face was scarlet, and Vincent couldn't help thinking that her cheeks nearly matched the red of his cape. He sighed deeply.  
  
"I'm sorry, Yuffie," he murmured quietly, more to himself, really, but his voice grew stronger as he continued. "I... don't know what came over me. Forgive me." He caught her eyes with his, trying to express his grief with his gaze. {How could I have done such a thing?} She maintained eye contact with him for only a brief period of time before lowering her head to stare at his shoulder. He often wondered why she did so. {She probably can't bear to look at such a monster as myself... I certainly wouldn't blame her...}  
  
He heard her sigh. "Okay Vinnie..." She grinned up at him, a cocky grin plastered on her face, her cheeks still flaming. She was obviously trying to hide her embarrassment. "I forgive ya this time, since I know you just couldn't resist my obvious beauty, but I better not wake up to that again!" She rubbed her neck, a pained look on her face. "That kinda hurt, you know. Hey, what's for breakfast?"  
  
Vincent just stared at her. Had she just forgiven him? He wondered how she could manage to switch topics so swiftly. After all, he'd pretty much just molested her; she should be on the opposite side of the room and fuming at him, not asking for food.  
  
*She's a strange young woman...*  
  
Vincent agreed, though he didn't deign Chaos with a response.  
  
*Think she enjoyed it? I know you seemed to.*  
  
Vincent nearly blushed, not wanting to recall the memories of his control loss. He stood and headed for the kitchen, buttoning the top of his shirt as he went.  
  
"Hey Vinnie, where ya goin'?" he heard Yuffie call behind him.  
  
He waved back dismissively. "To prepare breakfast." And with that, he disappeared towards the kitchen.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Yuffie sat silently, picking somewhat at her food. She would occasionally sneak covert glances in Vincent's direction, though she had a feeling it didn't matter. {I could be doing a strip tease on the table and I doubt he'd notice...} She thought sullenly. The depressed ex-Turk was eating more slowly than usual and seemed completely lost in whatever thoughts were drifting through his mind. Yuffie shifted slightly and cleared her throat. Somebody had to say something, and it was obvious that he wasn't going to be helpful.  
  
"Hey Vinnie... I was wondering," she paused a moment to let him register her words and look up. "Why're you at Icicle Inn anyways? I thought you had 'other business' to attend? Am I really so ultimately cute that you feel the need to follow me?" She awaited his response, a large grin lighting her face.  
  
A strange look crossed his face and Yuffie wondered if her words were ill chosen. After what had happened earlier... She blushed slightly. {Bad Yuffie! No hentai thoughts about Vincent Valentine, young lady!} She bowed her head and occupied herself with her breakfast to hide her crimson cheeks from his view. She looked up startled when she heard him speak.  
  
"I read in one of Hojo's journals that there's an abandoned lab in this area. I came to investigate." He was staring at a point on the table in front of him, and Yuffie thought she saw something in his eyes, but when she looked again it was gone.  
  
"Ah, I see!" Yuffie turned her head to gaze out the window at the expanse of bright snow beyond. She thought that maybe a good jump into the cool ice would be just the thing to quell the fire raging on her face, which seemed to have permanently settled. Hell, maybe she could get even with Vincent... She toyed with the idea a bit before refocusing on her breakfast. "Ne, Vinnie, when're ya planning to search? Or do you know where it is already?"  
  
An annoyed expression crossed the gunman's face as he examined his food absently. Yuffie remembered that he often did this when he wasn't sure of something. It was as if being at a loss bothered him. {Probably because it interferes with his infinite coolness...} He remained silent.  
  
"...I'll take that as a no. Gawd, Vinnie, ya better get crackin'!" She giggled at the irate gaze he sent in her direction and stood up, stretching. "Another great breakfast, Vinnie! I think I'm gonna go out and mingle for a bit. Good luck!" She grinned in his direction and took off toward the door, grabbing her new snow coat as she went. She heard Vincent protest behind her and ignored him. She then ran smack into something that looked... like... Vincent? {Wha...? I swear I heard him just behind me!} She knew for a fact that she'd left him sitting at the table.  
  
"Vinnie! How the hell'd you get here? Didn't know you could teleport..." She rubbed her head slightly and backed away to glare up at him. "How'd you do that?" she demanded.  
  
He ran his hand through his mass of raven hair and stared down at her. She could see amusement in his crimson eyes that caused her to scowl as she awaited his answer. "I ran," he said simply.  
  
When it was clear he would tell her no more, the young girl crossed her arms and glared at him. {RAN!? He must'a used a Haste spell...} "All right then, Mr. Vinnie, whaddaya want?"  
  
She saw him smirk as he trailed his eyes down to her clothes, a questioning look in his eyes. "Do you really mean to go out in the snow wearing that? I suggest against it."  
  
Yuffie followed his gaze down to her apparel and blushed slightly. She was still dressed in her nightgown, the blue material hung in disarray and exposed one creamy shoulder to him. She jumped a bit and straightened it out before turning and throwing him an embarrassed look. "Oh, okay. I see your point there. Heh, I woulda been an ice cube in no time, huh?" She grinned goofily and turned back towards the bedroom, leaving the amused gunman behind. She just knew he was snickering at her!  
  
She shook her head and sighed. She'd been really rattled this morning, what with having awoken to a handsome man nibbling at her neck and all. It'd freaked her out and he'd really hurt her. {Che, never thought Vinnie was so rough in bed... Oh gawd, that was a bad pun...} She grimaced and selected one of her new outfits; a black one that clung to her a bit, though Yuffie liked that. Loose clothing only got in the way, after all. She then threw on her coat, which was long and red, the color of luck. Ana had picked this coat because of Vincent's cape, wrongly assuming that it belonged to Yuffie. It was alright, though; this coat was pretty dramatic as well.  
  
She paused to examine herself in the mirror. {Damn. Vinnie got me better than I thought. Any more and he'd have broken skin...} There was a light bruise around the indentions of his teeth, and the whole area was red. {Maybe I should go buy a ribbon or a scarf or something...} She sighed and headed for the door. This was already turning out to be a strange day...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Vincent sighed as he fastened the straps on his cape, which still held the faintest scent of lily from Yuffie's use, though it was nearly drowned out by the rose. He wound his long red headband about his head carefully, though strands of his unruly locks spilled through the breaks anyway, as always. When he was done with his normal dressing, he grabbed his Death Penalty but stopped, replacing it thoughtfully and taking instead a smaller gun, easily concealed whereas his main weapon could not be. One thing he'd learned as a Turk; guns were great for intimidation in large cities like Midgar, but in small towns like this it was best to appear to be unarmed, since the people were nice and friendly anyway. He took a deep breath and stepped through the door.  
  
And got pelted in the face by something incredibly cold. He wiped the remnants of the snowball from his face and glared around for Yuffie, but he saw no sign of the spunky ninja. He saw instead a young woman with long green hair garbed in a black coat. She met his gaze with her golden eyes and let out a shocked gasp and ran towards him.  
  
"Oh, I'm so sorry mister! Oh my gosh, I didn't know!" she spoke quickly as she frantically brushed the snow from his cape. "I thought you were someone else! Oh my, can you ever forgive me?"  
  
He did a slow analysis of this strange woman. She certainly fit Cloud's description, but Vincent couldn't tell for certain. Besides, he wasn't here to traipse around after kidnappers. His interests lay elsewhere. He turned slightly as he heard Yuffie's surprised gasp from behind him.  
  
"Ana!?"  
  
The strange woman in front of him smiled and hugged the young ninja affectionately. "Oh, Yuffie! Here you are!" 'Ana' stepped back a bit and beamed down at the startled girl. "I saw this man here and I smacked him with a snowball, thinking he was you! I could only really make out the cape, you know?" She turned to Vincent and fixed him with a quizzical gaze. "What in the world are you wearing Yuffie's cape for, anyway?"  
  
Vincent raised an eyebrow at her statement and glanced at Yuffie.  
  
Yuffie shook her head vigorously. "Actually, that's Vinnie's cape. I was just borrowing it until I got my snow clothes."  
  
"...Vinnie?" Ana asked, turning towards the man in question. Vincent stiffened, slightly annoyed that even strangers were calling him by that ridiculous nickname. He bowed slightly at Ana, his manners beginning to kick back in.  
  
"Vincent Valentine," he said formally, before eyeing her intently. "And you are 'Ana', am I correct? Is that truly your name?" He didn't trust this 'Ana' woman, though it was clear that Yuffie seemed to think highly of her. Vincent awaited her answer, gauging her response.  
  
The green haired woman seemed to tense ever so slightly, and her face seemed to flush. Her voice, however, was just he same as it had been, though somewhat indignant. "Why of course it is! Why would you think it's anything else? In fact..." she smiled in a flirtatious sort of way and leaned towards him, "...you and I have similar last names, even. I'm Ana Valintine. With an 'i' rather than an 'e'." She continued to smile, her face reminding Vincent uncomfortably of Lucrecia. He stepped back.  
  
Ana cocked her head cutely to the side and blinked innocently before turning back to Yuffie and giggling at her. "Aw, you're so lucky! You've got such a cute boyfriend, and you're even dressed alike! I wish I had a guy as cute as him!"  
  
Vincent saw Yuffie's face flare up as she stuttered her protests and trailed his gaze over her attire. Yuffie certainly was dressed like him, with her new black outfit and crimson coat. He smirked slightly.  
  
*It appears you have a fan. Perhaps you could give her a 'private interview' later...?*  
  
{Chaos! What is your problem!? Why do you insist on bringing this up?}  
  
*Well, she is rather cute... and besides, you haven't been laid since that Lucrecia whore, and I've had to wait even longer...*  
  
Vincent fumed, anger boiling through his very being. How dare Chaos call his beloved a-a whore!? {Chaos...!}  
  
*Well it's true... Hold it, Vincent! I think Yuffie's talking to you!*  
  
Vincent glared up at the young girl before him, his anger at Chaos still coursing through him. "What!?"  
  
Yuffie took a step back, fear and hurt evident on her face. Vincent felt immediately sorry for his outburst before her expression changed to that of anger. "Geez Vinnie, what the hell's your problem!? I was only asking if you were okay! Never mind, then. Ana and I are gonna go look around. We were 'going' to ask if you wanted to join us, but never mind! Jerk!" And with that said, er, yelled, he watched as Yuffie spun indignantly away, dragging a stunned Ana behind her.  
  
Vincent gazed worriedly after the two women, still not quite sure what was going on. He simply shrugged, putting aside the nagging fears that plagued him and began his objective. Yuffie was a ninja, and could take care of herself.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Yuffie glared at the icy path before her as she stalked through the streets, dragging the confused Ana behind her. {What the hell's his problem anyways!? Damn guy's got serious issues...} She stopped suddenly, and was nearly knocked over as the woman behind her realized the sudden loss of movement.  
  
"Hey! Oh wow..." Ana piped behind her, "My goodness, is he always like that? Cute, definitely, but wow, what a temper! I know a guy with a temper like that, you know. They're both pretty cute, come to think of it..."  
  
Yuffie turned to look back at her new friend. The green haired woman was fiddling with a collar made of some strange silverish metal, a dark red heart in the middle that matche a similar necklace. In the center of the coker heart was a keyhole. Yuffie saw a chance to steer the conversation away from Vincent. "Hey Ana, where'd you get that?"  
  
Ana paled visibly before giving out a pained smile. Yuffie noticed that it failed to reach her golden eyes. "Oh this... Ah, Ciro gave it to me, back when we used to date..."  
  
{No wonder she's so upset! Way to go, Yuffie...} "Oh..." she had to change the subject! "It's very pretty. Anyways, how about we hit a materia store?"  
  
"Materia...?" There was confusion in Ana's voice.  
  
"Yeah! Collecting materia's a little hobby of mine. I've got quite a collection; I'll have to show ya sometime!" Yuffie grinned and grabbed Ana's hand as she practically skipped towards the store she'd passed yesterday. They'd had quite a selection when she'd peeked in the window. {Hope they have something rare...}  
  
Yuffie's mind was so occupied with thoughts of cool materia and she was so busy discussing its properties with Ana that she completely forgot everything else. She was completely oblivious to the shadow approaching from behind, or the feeling of unease that lingered in the air. Her talking completely drowned out the soft crunch of the snow behind her. Then she noticed the startled expression on Ana's face as the older woman's eyes focused fearfully on something behind Yuffie. The young ninja barely had time to dodge out of the way, bringing Ana with her, as she felt the brush of air pass over where her body should have been. She turned to face her assailant.  
  
Angry yet approving red eyes met her stare under the darkness of a hood, she could make out a few wisps of white hair. Yuffie moved into a combat stance, remembering now that she'd forgotten to bring her Conformer and cursing herself. "So it's you again, huh punk!? Ready to get yer thieving ass handed to you?"  
  
"You're certainly one to talk, Miss Kisaragi," he taunted, his boyish voice almost teasing. "Or should I bring up everything you've ever stolen?"  
  
Yuffie couldn't believe what she was hearing. {How dare that bastard steal my diaries and then wave his knowledge of my personal life in my face!?} "Oh, you're really dead now, buster!! Eiyah!!!!" Yuffie charged forward, her fists ready to crush his ribs in. She may not have her Conformer, but she was still skilled in other sorts of hand-to-hand combat. She studied his reactions intently.  
  
A sudden tensing was all the warning he gave her before he lashed out, a large hand-sickle swiping upwards. It was, however, enough of a sign for her to dodge. She jumped, flipping gracefully up to avoid the blade and retaliated, casting a small barrage of throwing stars towards him.  
  
She watched as he spun the blade expertly around himself. The small bits of metal that Yuffie had thrown bounced harmlessly off his sickle, doing little more than momentarily distracting him. The girl took advantage of this, and began invoking the power of one of her prized materia.  
  
"FLARE!" She yelled, releasing the energy that coursed through her. She smiled as the magic flowed from her body towards him. Yuffie felt truly alive whenever she cast spells, the power tingling through her lithe form. She watched smugly as the white-hot flames seared her opponent. She heard him curse, and watched as he shed his burning black cape. He wore another black coat beneath it, though it looked like a trench coat with no buttons. The sleeve of his right arm was short, ending above the elbow where the left sleeve hung down to his wrist. A loop of studded iron encircled his right arm, a shoulder guard of similar make adorned his left. His navy outfit resembled a more tattered version of Cloud's, and he wore a choker of studded iron to match his thick belt and shoulder gear.  
  
He ran a hand through his short white hair and glared at her before his face broke into a smirk. A smirk that seemed all too familiar and foreboding to Yuffie; the type of smirk that used to adorn Sephiroth's cold features. She gulped.  
  
"Absolutely amazing, Miss Kisaragi!" He called to her, readying his scythe once more. "I've never faced anyone half as good as you."  
  
"Well don't I feel lucky?" Yuffie shot back sarcastically. She prepared a smoke bomb and glanced quickly around. Her opponent stood between her and Ana; the busty woman was clutching at her necklace and appeared to be babbling in fear, though Yuffie couldn't hear what she was saying. The white haired man charged forward, his crimson eyes glinting dangerously at Yuffie who couldn't help but think of Vincent as met his gaze and prepared to dodge. Before she could throw the bomb in his face, however, she felt a wave of dizziness overtake her. The man caught her in the stomach with his knee, and she fell spluttering to the ground, winded.  
  
"YUFFIE!" She heard Ana cry out in dismay.  
  
Yuffie could see nothing but white as dark spots flittered across. She gasped for breath as she felt strong arms wrap around her, pinning her arms to her sides. She had little strength to do more than struggle as she felt another surge of dizziness, the type that usually accompanied a sleep spell. She looked up to make sure Ana was alright.  
  
"A-Ana, run! Get V-Vinnie! Hurry! Uhn..." Yuffie's head slumped forward in defeat as she saw the older woman rush off. {Vinnie'll save me... Vinnie... will...}  
  
The young ninja drifted into unconsciousness, the only place left to escape from the pain and humiliation of her defeat. Yuffie Kisaragi couldn't take care of herself.  
  
~*~End Chapter~*~  
  
~What will happen to our heroine, Yuffie? Will Ana get Vincent in time? Will they ever find her? Why is Vincent such a pervert? Stay tuned for more, as I may or may not have answers to these important questions! ^_^ I always wanted to make a dramatic cliffhanger... Please feel free to let me know any of your opinions or even ideas via e-mail as well as reviews. It makes me all warm and fuzzy inside to hear from my reviewers.  
  
~Kai 


	7. Sweet Deception

~ Yeah, people finally commented on my chocobo names! If you haven't noticed, all of the chocobos are named after FF characters: Rikku and Auron from FF10 and Cecil and Rosa from FF2, or possibly 4, I think they're the same game. When I played it, at age 7 or 8, it was FF2. I made chocobos for every character but Red, and included all the games except 1, which I can't even remember well. Disclaimer!: Amazingly, Squaresoft still hasn't give me its characters! However, I'm still waiting patiently... ~  
Ninja  
~*~7~*~  
  
Adriana winced slightly as the white haired man flung Yuffie unceremoniously on the large bed. She could also feel her arms begin to itch in sympathy as he bound the unconscious young ninja's hands together, tying the cords expertly in a knot that even the best escape-artists in the world would have trouble with. They needn't have worried, really, since even if she was free she'd be hard pressed to actually escape. Even Adriana had trouble finding her way around this place.  
  
"Geez, Vic, you don't need to be so rough with her!" She admonished, flipping her long green hair absently as she glared at the young man. He was having some difficulty positioning Yuffie so that the young girl wouldn't suffocate on a pillow. Adriana sighed in exasperation and shooed him out of the way. "Here, let me do it. You need to be gentle with a lady. See? Move her delicately; don't toss her around like a sack of potatoes! Didn't your mother teach you anything?"  
  
She could feel him scowling at the back of her head, but she ignored him. She knew very well that he'd had no 'mother' to teach him, but that's why she said it in the first place. She shook her head and began to examine the girl for any serious injuries. Adriana could see only a few bruises, though she imagined that the worst would be located on her stomach. {I'm so sorry, Yuffie...}  
  
"Why did you interfere?" she could feel Vic's presence behind her. His voice was calm, but held a hint of underlying anger. She was used to his temper, though, and was only partially annoyed by it right now. "I finally find a worthy opponent, and then you had to go and cast a sleep spell on her. Why?"  
  
Adriana shot him a death glare. "I didn't want to see you hurt her any more than necessary. You know how much I dislike bloodshed. And besides," she let out a bitter smile, "I like her. So bugger off! And also, Vinnie should be coming to rescue her soon, anyway. Perhaps you should prepare to face him instead of bothering me, hmm?"  
  
He gave an annoyed sigh and turned to leave before pausing uncertainly. "Who's Vinnie?"  
  
Adriana rolled her golden eyes at him. Vic really was dense sometimes, despite how intelligent he really was. "You know, project V.V.? The whole reason dear Yuffie's here? Cyrus has only been talking about him for the past, oh, several years!" She stood and draped a large red comforter over her newest friend. {Yeah, as if she's still my friend after this... Who could forgive me, after what I've done? Oh Yuffie...}  
  
She sighed and walked towards the large vanity on the far wall. She messed with various objects on the desk and almost absently stroked the mirror, avoiding her reflection. She'd once loved to gaze into the mirror at herself, but lately the sight made her sick. The large glass oval swung outward and she stepped carefully through, into the room beyond.  
  
This room was frilly, with lots and lots of pink with the occasional lavender and white accents. She smiled slightly, the room instantly cheering her up. She glanced around the room before her eyes came to rest on a small figure sitting forlornly one the bed, back facing the door. Adriana sidled up next to the figure and broke into a huge grin  
  
"Boo!"  
  
The child on the bed jumped and turned to face her, emerald eyes lighting brightly. "Miss Adri!" She cried happily, launching herself forward and wrapping her small arms tightly around the woman. Adriana closed her eyes and smiled, running her slender fingers through the girl's long auburn hair.  
  
"Yes, Aileen. I'm back again."  
  
"I missed you! But at least you weren't gone forever like last time." Aileen detached herself from Adriana and smiled. "Lookie what Mr. Vic gave me!" She held a small red orb out for Adriana to examine. "He said it was a Chocomog. Miss Adri, I can't make the Chocomog come out and play!!"  
  
Adriana giggled. Aileen was just so cute! "That's because you don't have enough control over your energy. You need lots of concentration before you can play with the red stones."  
  
Aileen pouted cutely. "But I wanna play with it now!"  
  
Adriana let out one of her rare, genuine laughs that rang melodiously throughout the room. Aileen was the only one who seemed to cheer her up lately. She gazed lovingly at the young girl. "You just need to be a little more patient, darling. I'm sure the Chocomog wants to play, too, but it won't be able come out until you learn to control yourself a bit better. How are you doing with your Cure materia?"  
  
Aileen let out a big grin. "I'm doing really good! I healed the bruise on Mr. Vic's leg a couple of days ago!"  
  
"Really? Would you like to show me how good you're getting?"  
  
The small child looked around uncertainly. "Are you hurt, Miss Adri? It's not too bad, is it?"  
  
Adriana giggled and shook her head as the girl sighed with relief. "No, but I have a friend in my room with a few bruises that you could fix. Do you think you can help?"  
  
She nodded vigorously, her ringlets bouncing wildly around her head. The woman gazed nostalgically at the girl, thinking again how much Aileen looked just like herself as a child. "Okay! I'm gonna help Miss Adri's friend! Um, that scary man won't be there, will he?"  
  
"No, dear. The scary man's busy right now." She led the child towards the hole in the wall that led back to Yuffie. Aileen's eyes widened and she ran towards the slumbering ninja, almost tripping over her frilly pink dress. {Aileen certainly does like pink... Well, I do too, I suppose. But I've never been quite so obsessed with it...}  
  
"Oh gosh, what happened to your friend? She's all tied up... and these knots were done by Mr. Vic, weren't they? Mr. Vic is teaching me to tie knots too. Didja know that?" Her face broke into a serene smile as she began channeling the magic from her to the bruises on Yuffie.  
  
A shadow seemed to fall over Adriana's face as she gazed sadly at Yuffie. "Her name is Yuffie, dear, and she's tied up because the scary man will be angry if she's not." Which was only partially a lie; Cyrus didn't care what happened to her, so long as Vincent would come to rescue her. At least that's what he said, though she suspected that he'd soon change his mind and decide he wanted to do some experiments on the hapless ninja. Cyrus always wanted people for experiments, it didn't matter to him if they were friends or not. {Like me... And Vic's friend, Claude...} Claude had been extremely cute, an aspiring SOLDIER with long brown hair held back in a loose ponytail and a relaxed, easygoing nature. And those gorgeous, mako eyes that Adriana had always found sexy. Claude had been Vic's closest, and only, friend for Vic's entire life. Adriana had liked him immensely, despite the fact that she was probably almost old enough to be his mom. As she saw it, she certainly wasn't going to get any younger, and since she wasn't going to age she may as well enjoy herself. And sure enough, when Claude had reached a suitable age, he'd asked her out. And she'd always see herself, with her unnatural green hair and golden eyes, reflected in his own eyes. Not someone else. Claude had adored her, the current her. And then Cyrus had gone and used him, turned him into an emotionless doll he called a Lost Soul. Given him a fate worse than death.  
  
She snapped out of her reverie when she heard Aileen call out to her. The girl had finished, and had been obviously been trying to get her attention for some time. "Miss Adri, I think someone's coming. Two someones."  
  
Adriana glanced fearfully towards the door as she ushered the young girl towards the pink room. "Stay here and be a good girl while I deal with them. Don't worry, I'll be back." She watched the girl nod before closing the mirror and sitting before it at the vanity as she pretended to examine herself. Just in time, for at that moment there was a short knock at the door before it burst in, and a tall man with short blond hair stepped in, adjusting his glasses so that they stayed on his nose. He was followed by Vic.  
  
"Why Cyrus! What a pleasant surprise, though I could do without that rather annoying man behind you." She threw a sly smile in Vic's direction before addressing the taller man again. "What in the world brings you here, darling?"  
  
Cyrus threw her an almost absent smile that had melted many girls hearts, hers included. She felt a pang there now as she smiled back, though her smile felt hollow. "I've come to see Miss Yuffie, of course. I hear you and Vic have developed a scheme to capture project V.V., using this girl. Explain."  
  
"Well, not capture, exactly, more like luring him in..."  
  
Vic cut her off. "Using the information I gathered on my trip to Nibelheim days previous, I discovered that project V.V. and this girl were comrades in the fight against JENOVA, Sephiroth, and meteor. I also found her staying in the mansion where you and Professor Hojo locked V.V. up. The Beta and Neo Zombies I sent to retrieve the girl failed, but fortunately one Neo remained to report back. She fled with V.V. and two other comrades, identified as Cloud Strife, failed Sephiroth clone and current owner of Omnislash weapon shop and Tifa Lockhart, owner of renovated 7th Heaven bar in Neo Midgar, to a forest near the Nibel mountains. Chocobo riders were sent again to capture her or V.V., but again failed. Then when you and Adriana told me of the girl in the clothes store, I investigated and identified her as the same. I assaulted Miss Kisaragi in a secluded area, while Adriana left to go find V.V. and tell him what happened."  
  
Adriana glanced at him and snorted. "Honestly, you talk like a technical manual; I nearly fell asleep!" She giggled as he glared at her, his crimson eyes burning. {So cute, all mad like that...} "Well, like he said, I ran off to find Vinnie-that's what Yuffie calls him- which wasn't very difficult, and told him basically that 'some weird guy came and beat her up and ran off with her and I was so scared' and gave him some vague directions, and he should be here any minute." She smiled, knowing that she'd probably lost them somewhere in her long ramble. She had a tendency to talk extremely fast, without pausing for breath.  
  
Cyrus nodded absently as he bent over the unconscious ninja. "Shouldn't she be awake by now? What in the world did you do to achieve this effect on her?"  
  
The woman ignored Vic's redoubled glare at her and shrugged. "Oh Cyrus, dear, you know me! I cast one of my special sleep spells on her. She'll remain unconscious until she's either badly hurt or I cancel the effects. You of all people should know that." She cast him a sideways glance that he stubbornly ignored. She knew that his experiments on her both shamed and yet pleased him. He really was sick.  
  
"She's really quite unremarkable; not much more than a stick, really... Maybe I should alter her a bit, sort of a gift for V.V. Heh, it would be quite amusing to see his reaction if he learned I screwed his life up once again. Lucrecia really was much prettier... Do you remember Lucrecia, my dear?" Cyrus continued to mumble beneath his breath, but Adriana stopped listening, clenching her fists so tightly that her long nails drew blood.  
  
Yes, she remembered Lucrecia; a beautiful, cold woman with a flawless face and long, wavy auburn hair that rivaled Adriana's own. Her eyes had been a lovely shade of blue-green that fixed people with a long, unblinking stare. She always seemed to be analyzing you. She really much preferred Yuffie to that woman. On Lucrecia's heels had been a handsome Turk with short black hair and piercing red eyes, who gazed lovingly at her and glared angrily at his rival, Professor Hojo. Professor Hojo, Cyrus's mentor and role model. She remembered Cyrus coming and taking her excitedly in his arms as he told her that THE Professor Hojo was making him his assistant, and wouldn't she come with him to Nibelheim? To get out of Midgar for awhile? She'd agreed, and the nightmare began.  
  
She felt a tear drip down her cheek and she turned away and brushed it off angrily. She saw Vic give her a concerned look and glared at him. She stuck out her tongue and he smirked slightly. It made her feel better, anyway. After all, he was just as screwed up as she was.  
  
A dark shadow slipped into the room and took shape as it sidled up to the muttering scientist. He stopped and turned towards the apparition. "Yes?" he asked impatiently.  
  
Adriana shuddered at the abomination as it hovered in midair. A Death Wraith; one of Cyrus's most deadly creations. It took on the form what Death was portrayed to look like, though only from about the waist up. There was nothing below its waist, and its eyes glowed an angry red as it hovered about, holding its dark scythe ready. They traveled in shadows, and none of Cyrus's experiments scared her as much as these.  
  
Cyrus stared into its eyes for a few moments as it showed him an image of something. Death Wraiths couldn't talk, but their eyes played scenes, like a television. He nodded and turned to Vic and Adriana. "It appears as if project V.V. has arrived. Why don't you go and meet him? I really would like to see how he's progressing. I wonder if he's ascended yet...?"  
  
Adriana winced, knowing what she'd have to do. It was in her nature as what Cyrus hade made her, but still... She glanced at Yuffie sadly. {Forgive me, Yuffie...}  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Vincent leaned against the wall, his Death Penalty drawn and ready should there be more guards. He was glad he'd stopped to grab it before coming, as this weapon had his much-needed Life materia. The zombies outside had been few and easily dispatched, as he'd found a way to imbue healing properties on his bullets, reducing the energy he consumed. He slipped carefully down the dark hall, wary of any more opponents.  
  
He came to a halt in front of a large door and glanced uncertainly at it. {I'm sure I heard a voice...} He leaned his ear against it and listened closely. There! It sounded like his name... He opened the door and stepped in, eyes darting cautiously around the dark room.  
  
A huge bed rested in the center of the room, and the only light came from several candles placed near the walls. An indefinable smell wafted through his senses, originating from incense that burned throughout the room. It smelled so familiar...  
  
"Vincent..." He startled at the voice, and walked cautiously towards its source on the bed. He stared. {No... It cannot be...}  
  
"Come sit down, Vincent. I'm certainly not going to bite."  
  
He shook his head and tried closing his eyes, but she was still sitting there when he looked once more. Her long, luxurious auburn locks pulled back in her usual high ponytail, her deep aqua eyes shining up at him, her flawless face set in an inviting smile. "Lucrecia..."  
  
Her smile widened and she patted the spot next to her. "Of course. Who else were you expecting, silly? I'm so glad you came, Vincent. I was beginning to think you had forgotten me."  
  
He sat next to her, setting his gun on the floor beside the bed. He held her eyes with his and took her hand gently. "Never. I have never forgotten... you..." He frowned slightly. It seemed wrong, somehow, sitting here with his beloved. Wasn't she...? He couldn't quite tell for sure what it was. The nostalgic smell of the incense was making it difficult to think properly. And he stopped thinking almost completely when she leaned forward and lay her other hand atop his. The faces of Hojo and Sephiroth flitted briefly through his mind but vanished before he could connect them. He even forgot what brought him here. "What... was I doing here?" He asked aloud.  
  
Lucrecia pulled away, hurt. "Why Vincent, don't tell me you forgot? It's our special night, remember? To celebrate our recent success?"  
  
Vincent stared. {Of course, why else would I be here, if not for her...?} He smiled charmingly, knowing that she couldn't resist it. He chuckled slightly as he watched her melt. "Of course I remembered. I just wanted to see how you'd react if I'd forgotten. It's so fun to tease you."  
  
She pouted indignantly. "Hmph! You're such a coldhearted man!"  
  
His smile broadened as he leaned forward to wrap her in his arms. "And you're so cute when you're angry." He told her as he pulled her towards him to kiss her. He could feel a presence deep in his mind, struggling to communicate, but it was overpowered by the intoxicating scent of incense and the feel of Lucrecia in his arms. He felt that he was acting strangely, immaturely, yet hadn't he always done so? That's what got him in trouble with his superiors. He felt his lips brush against hers and forgot about his troubles. Forgot he was no longer a Turk. Her kiss was intoxicating, as it had always been, and he ran his fingers through her hair lovingly.  
  
"Lucrecia..." he whispered, his eyes drooping as he claimed her lips once more. He was beginning to feel tired, somehow drained, as his hands began to trail from her hair to her back. He leaned heavily against her, supporting his head on her shoulder, absently noticing the mass of raven hair about him. He pulled on a strand with his left hand, and was shocked when he discovered the hair was his own. {My hair's never been this long...} His eyes wandered from his hair to his hand and he felt vague panic, but didn't have enough energy to do much more. {My hand... What has happened to it? I... No...} He could see pictures, but they were too fuzzy to make sense of. He began to tremble, and pulled Lucrecia closer for support.  
  
"Vincent? What's wrong?" he heard her clear voice ring beside his ear as she stroked his hair soothingly. "Vinnie?"  
  
His eyes snapped open, and he pulled away from her. Her features seemed to warp into those of Yuffie's for a brief moment before resuming those of Lucrecia's. {Yuffie...} He frowned, trying to think through the hypnotic smell and the loss of energy. {Hypnotic smell...} He glanced around at the incense and his frown increased. He concentrated intensely before letting out a burst of power that extinguished the offending incense. He heard Lucrecia gasp and his mind cleared, though he still felt drained.  
  
"Not bad," he said, glaring at the auburn haired woman, "but you messed up. Lucrecia never once called me Vinnie." He reached wearily for his Death Penalty and aimed at her. "Explain yourself and tell me where Yuffie is."  
  
She bowed her head and smiled bitterly. "Alright, you got me. It's me, Ana. But you should call me Adriana now, I suppose." She sighed. "You don't look surprised to see me, though. Leave it to me to say the wrong thing in the middle of the incredibly romantic part..."  
  
He glared at her, his blood red eyes reminding her uneasily of Vic. In fact, now that she'd gotten a better look at him, the two looked incredibly similar, though there were certain key differences. She could have mistaken the two for brothers, if she didn't know better. "How dare you take the form of Lucrecia?"  
  
She glared back. "I only look like this because you want me to!"  
  
He looked at her uncertainly. "I don't desire you to torture me with her countenance."  
  
Adriana rolled her eyes at him as if he was the biggest moron on the planet. "Of course you don't! But you do desire to see Lucrecia, so you're seeing Lucrecia! It's not easy for me either, you know. I hate seeing other women in men's eyes when they look at me."  
  
"Then why did I not see her when we first met?"  
  
"You did, but only briefly. It only starts to work if I will it to, or if someone feels a strong desire for a lost, absent, or unrequited love." She looked away. "But once it happens, the only way to stop seeing who you want to see is to stop wanting to see her. I have no control of who you see as long as you continue to want me like this."  
  
"What are you?" He asked, almost disgusted. He couldn't forgive her for putting him through this.  
  
"Oh, ouch." She glared at him. "You're one to talk. I'm an experiment, just like you. And Vic, and Claude, and Sephiroth, and so many others. I've just got different materials than you. I've very little human left in me now. I'm almost all succubus." Her face softened slightly. "But you understand, don't you? He altered you, too..."  
  
"Who?" Vincent leaned forward, anticipating her answer. {Perhaps this diversion is not a complete waste of time, after all.}  
  
"Cyrus. My goodness, Vincent, it's been so long. I understand if you don't remember me, but I'm so sorry. I tried... to stop him, but... but..." Vincent stiffened as she threw herself forward, crying into his shoulder. "He did this to me! I never dreamed he could be so horrible! N-not my sweet Cyrus! I-it's all that awful Hojo's fault! I just know he's the one who warped my dear Cyrus!"  
  
Images came sliding into Vincent's mind, memories of long ago. He, Lucrecia, and Hojo meeting a tired but happy looking pair at the gates of Nibelheim. The boy, blond and so happy that he was stuttering slightly, identified himself as Hojo's new assistant, Cyrus Torri. Vincent's eyes had been drawn towards the girl next to him because of the cascade of auburn hair that fell down her back and rivaled Lucrecia's own, though slightly shorter. Her clear blue eyes had shone with happiness and excitement, all for the young man in the lab coat. She had been identified as Adriana Valintine, Cyrus's girlfriend. Vincent never connected the two, since it'd been so long, but now he understood. She'd been altered, and therefore did not age, just like him. He pulled back.  
  
"Adriana, tell me where Yuffie is. I must find her."  
  
She nodded slowly, wiping the tears from her eyes. "A-alright. I'm so sorry about what I've done, Vinnie. I-I'll take you to her." She stood from the bed and waited for him to follow.  
  
Vincent tried to stand but failed, not having enough strength to support himself. He frowned and looked into her eyes, slightly upset that she still looked like Lucrecia. "What have you done to me?"  
  
Her eyes widened and she walked towards a small stand and took out an object, which she then placed in his hand. It was a sort of fruit, and at her gesture he bit into it, feeling his energy replenish.  
  
"Sorry, that's another thing I can't help. I, er, feed off of desire. It's a succubus thing." She smiled lightly and flipped her hair. "You wouldn't believe how annoying it is to have guys pass out right in the middle of intimate stuff like that! Although I'm surprised you lasted as long as you did, seeing as I was actually trying to knock you out, and with as much incense as I was using. I have a feeling that you'd probably last long enough satisfy me, if I held back..." She smiled suggestively at him.  
  
He raised his eyebrow at her before Chaos made himself known once more.  
  
*Talk about forward! Perhaps you should take the lady up on her offer later...*  
  
{Where were you? I thought I felt you, but you didn't say anything.}  
  
He felt Chaos give the mental equivalent of a shrug. *That incense was blocking me from communicating with you. That's some potent stuff.*  
  
{Indeed.} Vincent would have to remember to ask Adriana about it later. Maybe she could even lend him some. {Anything that keeps you quiet...}  
  
*Hey!*  
  
"Are you going to sit there all day and think god-knows-what perverted stuff about me, or are we ready to go?" Adriana asked, her hands resting impatiently on her hips. Her anger was betrayed by a small smile shadowing the corners of her lips, and Vincent couldn't help but smirk slightly as he stood up.  
  
"Of course," he told her, gesturing towards the door. "After you."  
  
She rolled her eyes again. "Oh how gentlemanly of you." She told him before turning to walk through the door. "I swear, you're as bad as Vic!"  
  
"Who's Vic?" He asked. He saw her stop suddenly as they rounded the corner of the hall and barely avoided crashing into her. She pointed ahead, at a figure in front of them. A man dressed in blue with a black overcoat stood before them, a deadly looking sickle aimed in their direction. The blade looked long enough to have been mounted on an actual scythe, and seemed strange on such a short handle. The white haired man glared from Adriana to Vincent and his eyes almost seemed to widen as crimson met crimson. He heard Adriana say in a quiet voice:  
  
"That's Vic."  
  
~*~End Chapter~*~  
  
~Yay, another cliffhanger! I'm getting good at these... I decided to give more explanation to my characters, 'cause I love bad guys with a past. If they just bore you to tears, though, I suppose I could just make them 'Grr! Kill!' types... But what's the fun in that? Actually, they've had a detailed past and personality since before I started the first chapter, but still! I mean, Vic even has a fan! *Glances sideways at Raspberry-Swirl* Well, hopefully I'll have the next chapter out quickly as well. Ja ne!~  
  
~Kai 


	8. Secrets Revealed

~ Okay, Dark Phoenix brought up a very important point (well, two of them, but I explained one in the last chapter. When Ana was babbling she was casting a sleep spell, which made Yuffie go night-night. I'll explain why she faints around Vinnie later, as if you haven't figured it out yet!) But her point was "Why the hell didn't Yuffie realize that Ana and Ciro were the kidnappers!?" Good point, since Cloud described them. I'll try to clear this up in this chapter, though it's probably gonna be a weak excuse. Gomen na sai! Disclaimer: Why bother? You know I don't own these infinitely cool FF characters ~  
  
Ninja  
  
~*~8~*~  
  
Vincent aimed the Death Penalty threateningly at the man before him, daring him to make a move as he waited for Adriana to continue with her explanation. {So this is the man Yuffie's so upset with...}  
  
*Didn't she say she thought he was cute?*  
  
{Your point?}  
  
*He looks a lot like you...*  
  
Vincent glared back at the man, taking in every detail of his features. He did seem to bear a certain resemblance to himself, but Vincent didn't want to admit this. {He looks more like Sephiroth.}  
  
*So you're saying Yuffie thinks Sephiroth was cute...?*  
  
Vincent's conversation with Chaos was interrupted when the man-Vic- began to speak.  
  
"Adriana," he said, his crimson eyes sliding from Vincent and back to the woman next to him, "what do you think you're doing?"  
  
She scratched her chin as she glanced away, suddenly seeming to find a rock in the stone wall near the ceiling particularly interesting. "I, ah, well I, you see, Vic, it's like, ah..." She bit her thumb lightly before turning to glare at Vic. "What do you care!? Just move it, and maybe Vinnie here won't beat you up too very badly!"  
  
Vincent couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at her as he pondered her statement. She made him sound like her best buddy. He noticed that she'd managed to draw a similar reaction from Vic, who seemed about ready fall over before recovering himself.  
  
Vic sighed. "Have you forgotten what will happen if you upset Cyrus?" A dark look settled over his face. "Or are you willing to endure the pain? If he escapes," he pointed at Vincent, "then you're not the only one who will suffer."  
  
Adriana had gone white, and her aqua eyes widened in horror of some fate unknown to Vincent. He watched as one of her delicate hands-Lucrecia's hands- reached up to grasp at a silver choker fearfully.  
  
Vic's face twisted into a grim sort of smirk as his free hand traced his own choker almost absently. "I see that you finally remembered. If you don't want to help, then stand back and let me take care of 'Vinnie'. I'll keep quiet about your temporary lapse of faithfulness to Cyrus." He readied himself to attack, his eyes locking back on Vincent's as Adriana sank back against the stone wall in obvious defeat.  
  
The sound of the Death Penalty's blast rang through the hall, and Vincent watched as the bullet sped towards its target. A normal man, he knew, would not be able to dodge that shot, for the bullets of this gun were much faster than those of normal guns.  
  
His eyes narrowed as the other man, with a speed and grace most humans did not possess, moved swiftly to the side and charged, his sickle glinting wickedly in the dim light. Vincent cursed, and prepared to counter the incoming man in close combat, knowing that the Death Penalty would be little help in this fight. He aimed the gun at his opponent once more and fired, hoping to throw Vic off-course and distract him. It worked-Vic looked away for a moment as he dodged the approaching bullet. Vincent didn't wait to see if his shot impacted with its target. He dropped the cumbersome weapon and rushed forward, forming his claw into a fist and thrusting at him.  
  
Vic's eyes widened in surprise as Vincent's punch slammed into his cheek, missing his nose by mere centimeters. The other man was far from out, however, and proved this to the ex-Turk by swinging his sickle up in retaliation. The raven haired man barely had time to evade the deadly blade swinging up towards him, and had he been a second slower in moving, he would have had a very nasty gash up his stomach. The two men stood back from each other, each appraising the others moves. They both ran a single finger through their bangs at the same time and Vic smirked.  
  
"Heh, not bad. I've been looking forward to a decent fight all day. Since someone ruined my last one." He threw an annoyed glance in Adriana's direction before focusing again on Vincent.  
  
"I don't have time for this," Vincent sighed as he gazed dully at the man before him, "but I don't suppose I have a choice. Let's finish this quickly."  
  
"Those are my lines..." Vic almost seemed to pout before the smirk reasserted itself on his face. "Alright, let's go." He charged forward as he said this, his weapon glinting wickedly in the light. Vincent prepared to meet him rather than sprinting forward again. He readied himself, recalling everything his training as a Turk had taught him about hand-to- hand fighting against an armed opponent. {Haven't had to use this for a while...}  
  
*Getting rusty?*  
  
"Hardly," he whispered aloud. He stood straight, and to anyone unfamiliar to the Turk's peculiar fighting stance it seemed that he was simply going to stand there and take the blow. It achieved the desired effect, as Vic seemed to hesitate for a split second, which was all the time Vincent needed to dart in and knock the sickle from the white haired man's hand and deliver a brutal punch towards his stomach.  
  
The weapon went flying down the hall, much to Vincent's satisfaction, but Vic had managed to block the punch and deliver a counter strike of his own. Vincent winced slightly at the pain that shot through his shoulder. He hadn't expected this relatively small man's punches to hurt this much. He ignored the pain and reached up, grabbing Vic's arm and twisting. He watched his opponent drop before a sharp pain exploded onto his stomach. Vincent gasped and reeled back.  
  
Vic was up in a flash and Vincent was too busy trying to regain his breath to fend off his approach. He saw little more than a flash of white before he felt himself being tackled. He twisted his body so that Vic smashed himself straight into his claw.  
  
He heard a pained gasp from above him as the sharp metal tips tore through cloth and flesh. He couldn't help the small smirk that formed on his face as he felt the warm liquid flow freely down his arm. He pulled his claw back from his injured opponent and prepared to attack again...  
  
When an explosion of pain shot through his head. He looked up in time to see a black mallet with pink hearts smash solidly into Vic's head as well, knocking the other man away. He could see little stars flying around his head as he sat up.  
  
"A-Adriana, what the hell!?" Vic growled as he sat up, clutching angrily at both his side and his head.  
  
She stood there, her face a mask of cool indifference. However, there was a hint of a very strong emotion in her voice when she spoke. "I couldn't allow you two to fight any longer! Vinnie and I are in a hurry, so if you'll just let us by, I won't have to do that again. Besides," she glanced sideways at Vic, "I know what you were planning. I won't allow you to hurt Vincent like that."  
  
Vincent pondered over her words in confusion as he stood. He'd obviously had the upper hand-right? Then why was Adriana so concerned about him getting hurt? Vincent decided to ponder over the meaning of this matter later. Right now he was more concerned about finding Cyrus and getting some answers-and finding Yuffie, of course. He watched as Vic rose to his feet, having finished his healing spell.  
  
"Che, I suppose you're going to ruin every good fight I get into this week, huh? Oh well..." He muttered something before running his hand through his hair once more and wincing as he came to the bump her mallet had given him. "Ow... Alright, look. I'll take you both to the girl. Cyrus has moved her to the lab, but I don't think he's started experimenting on her. Yet. Follow me."  
  
Vincent paused briefly, stooping down to pick up his Death Penalty before silently following the pair. His expression darkened as he pondered Vic's statement. The thought of Yuffie becoming some experimental freak like himself or Adriana enraged him, and he could think of nothing better than finding that bastard Cyrus and carving both answers and revenge out of him bit by bit.  
  
It was a long walk, and as hard as Vincent tried, even he couldn't memorize all the twists and turns the hallways took. He could sense that they were heading steadily down, though, and stored that information away for later use. He was mildly startled when Vic and Adriana stopped at what appeared to be a dead end.  
  
"...Well?" he asked impatiently, half expecting this to be another trap. Vic scowled and bent down, messing with a nearly invisible latch on the floor.  
  
"...Have a little patience." The other man grumbled as the trapdoor swung downwards. "We're going to get in a lot of trouble for this, you know. You're lucky I agreed to guide you."  
  
Adriana giggled a bit and flipped her hair back as she descended the ladder. "You're such a sweet, caring person, Vic!" She laughed sarcastically as she disappeared into the darkness.  
  
"...Whatever," he grumbled as he began to follow.  
  
Vincent sighed as he followed the two people. He was a bit confused as to why they were helping him...and why he detected such fear from them. They were probably leading him into a trap, but this was the only clue he had to finding Cyrus, so he would follow and be prepared for any tricks.  
  
They hadn't traveled far before they came to a rather unremarkable looking door. It seemed to be made of rusted steel, and blended so perfectly with the wall that even Vincent's sharp eyes could have missed it. Vic sighed and slowly opened it, peeking inside before swinging it open all the way. "I keep telling him to get a lock..." he grumbled as he entered almost sullenly.  
  
Vincent followed Adriana into the room and waited for his eyes to adjust to the sudden onslaught of light. The room was large; a mix of steel and stone with incredibly bright lights scattered about. A snow-covered sunroof was in the middle of the ceiling high above, and yet Vincent felt they were too far underground for this to be possible. He looked closer, squinting into the light and saw it was all artificial, and the 'sun' was another spot light shining down dramatically on a lab table in the middle. On this table was a small figure. His eyes widened.  
  
"Yuffie!" he leapt from the spiraled stairs and landed gracefully on the ground. He approached her cautiously, least this be another trap. When nothing happened, he began checking her for signs of life.  
  
She was breathing and her pulse was strong, but she didn't seem to be waking up. "Yuffie? It is I, Vincent. It is time to awaken, Yuffie." He shook her roughly and turned towards Vic. "What's wrong with her?"  
  
It was Adriana who answered. "Hm... Maybe you should try kissing her? That usually wakes a pretty young lady up."  
  
Vincent stared at her blankly before a semi-distressed look crossed his face. "I really don't think that will work..."  
  
"You never know until you try!" Adriana giggled mischievously before Vic smacked her on the head. "Ow! What was that for...?"  
  
"Just undo the spell and quit wasting time," he replied irritably. "Now isn't the time for your sick sense of humor."  
  
She pouted and stuck her tongue out at him. "Oh, you're no fun! Honestly, neither of you two can take a joke, can you? Oh well," She closed her eyes and whispered something Vincent couldn't quite make out and smiled. "There!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Yuffie opened her eyes groggily and immediately closed them again. "Oh gawd that's bright..." she sat up and stretched before looking around the room, immediately coming face to face with Vincent Valentine. "Whoa!" she yelped, jumping backwards a bit and nearly toppling off of...whatever it was she was on. "Hey, where am I...? YOU!?" She yelled, pointing a finger at a slightly startled looking Vic. "What the hell did you do ta me? You dirty, rotten, cheating..."  
  
"Yuffie..." Vincent started.  
  
"...thieving, cowardly..."  
  
"Yuffie...!"  
  
"...^&$*ing platinum-haired PUNK! I'll."  
  
"Yuffie!" He grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her to look into his eyes. "Please listen when I'm speaking to you. We have no time for your petty feud at the moment. We must...Yuffie?"  
  
"...Yes, Vincent...?" It was happening again. That damned red mist... His voice flowed through her like a gentle stream.  
  
Her eye contact with him was broken as a pair of familiar golden eyes replaced his crimson ones. "Yuffie, dear! Snap out of it! And you!" The green haired woman turned to face Vincent angrily. "I don't know what you did to her just now, but stop it!"  
  
Vincent seemed a bit taken aback but at that moment Yuffie quite agreed with her. "Anyways, what are you doing here, Ana?" she asked, turning to her friend. "And where is here? What exactly did that bastard do to me?" she asked, jerking a thumb angrily in Vic's direction.  
  
She watched curiously as Ana began to fidget nervously with her necklace, avoiding eye contact. "Well... I, ah..."  
  
"Yuffie," Vincent's voice cut in. She turned to face him before quickly moving her gaze to his shoulder.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Describe the kidnappers."  
  
"Huh? Okay..." she thought for a minute, slightly taken aback by his request. "Um... a man with blond hair and spectacles..." An image of Ciro flashed through her mind, "...a guy in a black cloak..." She glared at the white-haired punk, "And a woman...with long green..." She gulped and gazed at the embarrassed woman in front of her. "...I screwed up, huh?"  
  
"Indeed," Vincent gazed at her angrily. "What were you thinking?"  
  
"Well... ah..." Yuffie gulped. She hadn't been, really. All she'd really been focused on at the time was her anger at the jerk who'd stolen her stuff, her confusion about Vincent, her feelings for Cloud and how nice Ciro and Ana had been to help her find some clothes.  
  
Ana coughed slightly. "I'm, ah, afraid that's partially my fault." Both Yuffie and Vincent turned to face her. "Another of my powers is temporary memory blocking. She wasn't suspicious because I pushed all thoughts of us even being remotely connected to kidnappings far away. Thus, Cyrus and I were able too talk freely with her."  
  
"Cyrus!? You mean..." Yuffie gulped. "Ciro was..."  
  
"Yes," a voice called out from the shadows. Yuffie turned to face the new voice and jumped off the table, lading next to Vincent. A tall man walked out, an amused expression on his face as he pushed his glasses up slightly. "You see my dear, 'Ciro' is a foreign variation of Cyrus, and thus a name I can use without calling attention to myself as a former ShinRa scientist."  
  
Yuffie heard a small gasp from next to her and looked to see Ana whimpering in fear. She looked over at the thief and saw a slightly nervous expression on his face as well. She looked back up at Cyrus.  
  
"I'm so glad you're finally awake, Miss Yuffie," he said, flashing her an almost charming smile. He then turned to the other two. "And you two... you should be ashamed! Leading the enemy down here..." his hand moved to grasp at one of the two keys around his neck-a black one with silver accents. "Vic, Vic, Vic..." He shook his head sadly. "How could you go against your own father?" He squeezed the key a bit and Yuffie heard a strangled gasp come from 'Vic'. She turned quickly to see him grasping frantically at the studded collar around his neck.  
  
"P-please, stop this!" Ana begged, slumping to the ground. Cyrus turned to face her, his face cold.  
  
"And you, Adriana..." he grasped the other key, pink and silver and pressed down. She screamed and began clawing at her choker. "You're usually so good..."  
  
Yuffie growled angrily as she raced towards him. "STOP IT!" Her fist connected with the surprised Cyrus and he lost his grip on the keys. Yuffie could hear relieved gasps behind her as she continued to pummel him.  
  
"Look out, Yuffie!" she heard 'Adriana' scream behind her. Yuffie's eyes widened as she tried to avoid her opponent's counterstrike, but she was too late. She screamed as she felt something sharp enter her arm and pulled away from her opponent to examine the damage.  
  
The remains of a needle jutted out from her forearm and she gingerly tried to pull it out. Her arms wouldn't obey, and she noticed that she could barely feel them anymore. Before she knew what was happening, she felt someone lift her up and carry her away from Cyrus, who now had a small gun out and aimed at her. She moved her head slowly up towards her rescuer. "V- vinnie?"  
  
He set her down and swiftly pulled the small slip of metal from her arm before turning to face the smug looking scientist. "What have you done to her?" He asked coldly.  
  
"That? Oh, that's just a simple paralysis poison. It should wear off in a few hours. So you're subject V.V. hm...? You certainly have changed..."  
  
Vincent stood up and glared at him. "What do you know of my condition?" He leveled the Death Penalty at the blond man and awaited an explanation. Yuffie could only watch in fascination, now unable to do much more than breathe.  
  
"Well, I was professor Hojo's assistant. I know almost everything about your enhancements. And I must say, you seem to be a complete success so far. You haven't aged a bit in all these years." He gestured towards Yuffie with his gun. "And I took the liberty of examining the wounds she had. It appeared as if someone tried to bite her neck. Now, I'm almost certain Vic here didn't do that. Care to explain?"  
  
Vincent took a step back and shook his head a bit. "What are you implying?"  
  
"Oh come on! Professor Hojo and I locked you up in a coffin for a reason, you know." He smirked. "I'm assuming that your true powers are beginning to surface... as well as your new nature."  
  
Vincent's eyes seemed to go hazy as he stared in what Yuffie could only assume was disbelief at Cyrus. "You... what manner of sick joke were you thinking? What did you hope to accomplish?"  
  
"I-immortality..." Adriana's voice called weakly behind Yuffie. She sounded as if she been in unspeakable pain. "The same-the same reason he d-did this to me... To find immortality."  
  
{Immortality!? What the hell kinda clichéd reason is that!?} Yuffie wanted to scream. {At least be (&^$%&ing original!}  
  
"And what of Chaos and the other demons in my mind? Certainly they have no connection to this 'immortality'!" Vincent snarled, his finger seeming almost to twitch slightly at the trigger of the gun.  
  
"Of course not," Cyrus shrugged offhandedly. "Those were Professor Hojo's brilliant ideas! I merely helped him, as I was asked to do. I must say, I certainly was curious as to how those experiments would work out. And they seem to have been a complete success! My idea was to combine your cells with those of the most feared and powerful creatures of all time-a vampire, in order to see the effects."  
  
"And yet, I do not burn in the sunlight and I've no desire for blood. I would say that your experiment was a failure."  
  
"You would... but it has merely taken a few years for your powers to manifest! After all," he smiled and pointed to towards the bruise on Yuffie's neck, "it appears as if you do have some desire to feed. You may suppress it, but it's still present. And surely you find yourself more energized at night. After all, the sun must irritate your sensitive skin. The reason you don't suffer the ill effects of your gift is because I took the liberty of engineering them out of you, despite the Professor's protests. You are ascending from humanity! One of my most perfect creations... Currently in the adolescent stage, your body is undertaking rapid changes..."  
  
"Enough!" Vincent said as closely as Yuffie had ever heard him get to shouting. He fired the Death Penalty at Cyrus, the bullet speeding towards his chest. Yuffie would have gasped had she been able, when the bullet stopped a centimeter from his body and fell to the ground. {A barrier!}  
  
"That certainly was rude, Mr. Valentine. But then, I suppose you were fairly trigger-happy when we met. I had hoped you'd gained better manners, though." He sighed and took a pen from behind his ear, clicking the end down.  
  
"RUN!" Adriana screamed behind them. "Get Yuffie and get out of here, before 'They' come! I-EIYAI!!!!!" She fell back to the ground, pawing helplessly at her neck.  
  
Yuffie felt herself being scooped into Vincent's arms yet again as he ran her towards the stairs. She felt something hard and heavy hit her stomach, and barely had time to glimpse Vic out of the corner of her eyes before she was raced past him. She strained to see what he'd thrown at her but eventually gave up, since her eyes were starting to hurt. She looked up into the face of the man carrying her since that was the easiest place to look.  
  
Vincent's face held very little emotion perhaps annoyance, but his eyes... His crimson eyes practically glowed with anger, even in the darkness of this hall he was sprinting through. Yuffie gulped and closed her eyes to keep from witnessing such a frightening sight. In all the time she'd known Vincent, never had she seen this look in his eyes. Not even when confronting Hojo. But, if what Cyrus had said was the truth... She shuddered.  
  
{No way! Vampires are myths, legends, OLD WIVES TALES! You tell that stuff to kids to make 'em behave, for cryin' out loud! It ain't possible! Vinnie...} She gulped. {Vinnie's a bit strange... but... No way! He can't be some sorta super-vamp! That's so not cool! Damn crazy ShinRa!}  
  
The thing on her stomach flew up slightly and landed back down on her hard as Vincent made some sort of jump. She tried to wince and glared up at him. {Damn, Vinnie! At least be a little careful...Ow!} Her head jolted a bit and hit the edge of his metal arm. {Gawd DAMN IT that hurt!} She grumbled a string of curses at him in her mind as he continued down the hall, seemingly completely oblivious to her discomfort.  
  
{Ooh...! And I never got to beat the stuffing out of that smug Vinnie-look- a-like, what's-his-name-Vic! I'll get him good, next time! And that cheating, underhanded bastard Cyrus! GAWD!} Yuffie began to fume silently, since she couldn't rant and yell like she wanted to. She began to make up painful, elaborate forms of torture for her targets of vengeance as Vincent continued to carry her silently through the night.  
  
~*~End Chapter~*~  
  
~Gawd! Finally finished! Sorry this took so long, guys. I'm not dead! Really! I had like a million ideas and couldn't make up my mind. Plus, I don't get much time to write during the summer, so... Anyways, thanks for being so patient! Remember, I'm always looking for ways to improve, since this IS my first fanfic, after all... Ja, ne!~  
  
~Kai 


	9. Too Much Wine

~Hi-hi! Quite a development, ne? How will Vinnie and Yuffie cope, hm? I'm not really sure... Anyways, thanks to all my readers for sticking with me so far, possibly wondering when this bad boy's gonna end. Well, I don't know that either. Sorry! As for Vic, he does seem to have a bit of a double personality going. I heard that he seems a bit annoying, and I'm absolutely delighted that someone thinks so! I think it gives him more personality than if he were merely all ultimate bad-ass, which he certainly can be. The reason he's under-rated by Adriana is because she's known him for, like, ever, and Yuffie... well, Yuffie's supremely confident in her abilities, so this mere thief is NOTHING! ...Right? Disclaimer: You know that I know that you know that I own nothing of Final Fantasy, you know? I'm simply a sadistic fanfic writer who gets no profit from torturing these characters except a sick bit of pleasure...~  
  
Ninja  
  
~*~9~*~  
  
Yuffie groaned and shifted slightly, feeling the warm cloth atop her move as she did so. Her body felt stiff, as if she'd been sitting still for hours. She sat up slowly and stretched, trying to get the blood flowing properly once more. She yawned and looked around, noting that she was now back in Professor Gast's old house.  
  
{That's weird... I musta fallen asleep while Vinnie was carrying me. Where is he, anyways...?} The events of the previous night rushed back into her sleepy mind in waves and she frowned. {Oh no... I hope he didn't run off...} She ran her hand though her messy hair and her attention was caught by something deep red wrapped around her arm. She blinked in surprise and stared at it.  
  
Vincent's headband was tied neatly around the place where Cyrus had jabbed that giant needle into her arm. Her head reeled and she had to fight off the urge to faint-she really hated shots. But the sight of the familiar crimson cloth brought a smile to her face. Surely Vincent wouldn't leave without his headband... right? She rose from the bed, grinning confidently. {Of course he wouldn't leave yet! Definitely not without this thing!} It was with this thought in mind that she took a few wobbly steps towards the stairs before her balance returned to her completely.  
  
The climbing of the stairs was more difficult than Yuffie felt it should have been. Her legs seemed to be waiting for any good reason to betray her. She'd never been the most graceful of ninjas, but she felt that she ought to have just a bit more control at least! {What the hell was in that thing?} She wondered sullenly as she managed to clear the last stair without collapsing, leaning heavily against the banister. She glared balefully at the wooden handrail as if it had offended her personally. When it did no more than sit there, as inanimate objects are usually wont to do, she settled for cursing it under her breath and moving on.  
  
She looked around the first floor of the house, hoping for a glimpse of her friend. When she found no trace of the dark haired man here, she grimaced and stared indecisively at the metal door that separated her freshly awoken, above all warm, self from the bitter cold of the snow outside. She rolled her eyes and grabbed her scarlet coat from its crumpled spot on the floor, where Vincent had most likely flung it the night before. Her eyes widened in surprise as a small stack of books rolled out from the folds of the cloth, held together by a simple silver cord. She sat down on her coat and undid the knot of the cord, letting the books spill out for her examination.  
  
"M-my diaries!" She gasped, holding a couple of the volumes protectively to her chest. {At least he had the decency to return them... But what are these other books here? 'Isilidous Vaspiris'? Can't read any of this! What the hell kinda language is it? Never seen it before... Maybe Vinnie'll know!} She rose from her position on her coat and shrugged into the warmth of its scarlet folds before bending to retrieve the books from the floor and setting them on the table to wait for her, careful to segregate her diaries from the strange books she couldn't read. She then turned towards the heavy steel door and opened it, wincing slightly as the piercing arctic wind bit into her cheek. Fortunately, the sun's blessed rays warmed her a bit as she moved from the shadows, and she smiled a bit as she began her search.  
  
Once Yuffie managed to adjust to the snow, she actually found herself enjoying her walk through this snowy, out of the way town. She really rather wished she had someone to talk to, and found herself wishing Ana- no, Adriana, she corrected herself- were here. Her eyes darkened slightly at this thought and she cursed herself for having been so inattentive. How could she not have known? Still, she had liked the older woman. {I hope Cyrus doesn't hurt her too much...} She thought, remembering the look on intense pain on her face. Yuffie wasn't sure quite what had happened, but apparently they'd helped Vincent save her. Now Yuffie wasn't quite sure what to make of her brief friend and the annoying bastard, er, Vic.  
  
Yuffie sighed and kicked a bit of snow with the toe of her snowshoes. She suddenly wasn't enjoying herself as much as when she first started her search for Vincent. {It's not like he'll be happy to see me or anything. He's probably off sulking and... Wait! Where do people normally go to sulk? They usually head for a pub, right? Yeah! Wait... Vinnie's not exactly 'normal', though...} An image of a drunk Vincent Valentine zipped though her mind, a lampshade over his head, and she giggled uncontrollably for a few minutes. {Nah, that probably won't happen. But...} She perked up a bit and headed towards the only bar she could remember in Icicle Inn. "It's certainly worth a shot, right?"  
  
She arrived at the entrance to the bar and pushed confidently at the swinging wooden door before her. A blast of cigarette smoke enveloped her in a wave as the door swung open in a loud creek, sending her into a coughing, wheezing fit as she entered. "Gawd... they need to open a window or something, cold air or not!" She managed to choke out once her lungs managed to adapt to the second-hand smoke. They still burned in protest as she slumped down the stone stairs, but she ignored them in favor of scanning the bar for signs of her morose friend.  
  
She was about to abandon her exploration of the bar as a lost cause when something caught her eye. There, in the darkest, gloomiest corner of the bar, sat Vincent Valentine. His head was held up only by one hand as he slumped forward, his ebony hair spilling over his face worse than usual with no headband to keep it at bay. He hadn't seen her, in fact the only thing that seemed to hold his attention was the wine in the glass in front of him, which he stared at as if it held the secrets of the universe. Yuffie couldn't help noticing that even his slumped figure seemed rather elegant. At least he was moping in style. She walked up to him and sat in the seat across from him, waiting to see when he'd notice her.  
  
He eventually raised the glass towards his lips, and right before he swallowed the dark liquid his eyes raised to meet her, widening slightly. He took a slow drink before lowering the glass once more, never breaking eye contact. "Can I assist you, Yuffie?"  
  
Yuffie smiled a bit when he acknowledged her and she leaned back a bit. "Well, you can stop moping, for one thing. You could at least have waited until I woke up before you ran off, you know."  
  
Vincent regarded her coolly, though he did straighten up a bit, leaning back himself and staring at her from behind the cascade of dark hair that nearly obscured his face. "I believed you would have been safer had I not remained in the room."  
  
"Vinnie..." She trailed off, continuing to look him in the eyes. {I wonder why he's not hypnotizing me? That's odd...} "You don't really believe what that madman said, do you? I mean, he was off his rocker! Imagine you, a vam-"  
  
His glare silenced her. She felt a small wave of fear shoot through her, and she averted her gaze as he spoke. "Please lower your voice. It is not wise to discuss such matters in public." His voice cut through her, almost as smooth and level as his glare had been. "Insane though he well is, I find it difficult to discredit what Cyrus said. Either way, I still felt it best to distance myself from you as you slept." He took another sip of his wine, signifying that he felt the discussion was closed.  
  
Yuffie scowled and drummed her fingers against the table as she thought of something to say. Even if he was a... not quite human... she couldn't let him sulk here by himself! After all, she was his friend, whether he liked it or not! "Whatever. It still would've been soooo nice to have woken up to your smiling face, though." She thought she saw the lightest ghost of a smirk, but it disappeared when he shifted his head slightly. "Anyways, what are we supposed to do now?"  
  
This time he did smirk as he arched an eyebrow and regarded her in amusement. "I believe Tifa explained that to you, if you hadn't been quite so keen to antagonize Cid..."  
  
Yuffie had the decency to look slightly embarrassed as she scratched her head nervously. With all the chaos and revenge she'd almost completely forgotten the original reason she was here. To find the kidnappers. "Uh..."  
  
He sighed and downed the rest of his wine in one long draught. He seemed to regard the empty glass almost longingly as he stood. He glanced at her and motioned for her to follow as he placed a few gil on the table and turned to leave. Yuffie fought against her instincts to pocket the money before quickly moving after him, glaring at the leers of a few drunken patrons. One of the ladies in a rather skimpy outfit threw her an envious look and Yuffie was torn between shock and amusement. {As if Vinnie has any sort of interest in that! Well, there was that neck incident...} Yuffie stopped thinking about it, seeing as that led right back to the vampire issue.  
  
They walked in an uncomfortable silence through the snow, and when Yuffie saw Professor Gast's house around the corner she inwardly rejoiced. She was all too eager to immerse herself in the warmth and comfort of their temporary shelter. She sighed happily and smiled as the door shut behind her with a satisfying THUNK. She watched as Vincent paused near the stack of books on the table, running a thin finger across the title and turning to her with a curious expression.  
  
"What are these?" He asked, flipping through 'Isilidous Vaspiris' and closing it thoughtfully before awaiting her answer.  
  
"I don't know. I was hoping you could read them, actually. That Vic guy gave them to me along with my diaries when you were carrying me outta that creepy place." She shrugged. "No go, huh?"  
  
Vincent shook his head absently. "No. I've never seen any language even remotely similar to this." He placed the tome delicately back atop the others and headed down the stairs.  
  
Yuffie followed, stopping briefly at the stack of books to pick them up and carry them down with her. {I might as well pack these away if neither of us can read them.} She thought as she descended the stairwell. She placed them unceremoniously on the bed as she leaned down and began searching beneath for her travel bag. After a few seconds of groping around, her hand came across the cool leather of her bag, and she pulled it out and began to pack the books into it as she noticed Vincent standing over her. "Yes?"  
  
"You may want to retrieve your PHS and report to Tifa as to the location of the kidnappers." He told her as he took a seat upon the end of the bed. Her face scrunched up slightly in annoyance, but she grudgingly brandished the small phone.  
  
She had customized her PHS to automatically speed dial every one of her friends, in a color-coded system of buttons. The pink button, however, would probably never be used again, and this saddened Yuffie to no end. That button used to dial Aeris. She hit the white button, and waited impatiently to hear Tifa's voice. "C'mon... hurry up and answer already!" She grumbled. After a few rings, she was rewarded with Tifa's slightly anxious voice.  
  
"Hello? Tifa Lockhart speaking."  
  
Yuffie grinned. "Hey, Tiff! No need to go sounding all formal and stuff! You're gonna turn into Vinnie if ya keep it up." Yuffie was rewarded with Vincent's slightly annoyed expression and a small giggle from Tifa.  
  
"Hi, Yuffie." Tifa said. "Do you have any news about the kidnappers? Cloud and I met Red, but everything's quiet here in Cosmo Canyon, and Cid and Shera haven't reported back yet." Tifa sounded slightly worried at this.  
  
"How much are ya willing to pay for this information, hm...?" Yuffie giggled. She could practically feel the other woman rolling her eyes over the phone.  
  
"Yuffie...!"  
  
"Just kiddin'! Anyways, I found them."  
  
She heard a gasp on the other end of the receiver. "Are you serious?"  
  
"Yeah. They're here in some abandoned lab or something. Vinnie knows more about it than I do. Tifa... no, nevermind. I'll talk to ya when you guys get here, alright?"  
  
"Right. Good work, Yuffie! I'll go tell Cloud and see if we can get a hold of Cid. Tell Vincent I said 'hi'! See you guys later!" And with a small 'click', the phone was silent. Yuffie pressed the power button on her PHS and stuck it back in her bag.  
  
"Well, they're on their way!" She told the silent man as she rose from the floor and sat next to him on the bed. "So... Now what should we do? It'll take them a few hours to get here at least." She snuck a sideways glance at him. He seemed even more withdrawn than he had when she'd first met him. {And I have this sneaky suspicion as to why...} She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Vinnie..."  
  
He remained silent as he continued to stare down at the floor. She noticed, however, that he didn't try to shrug out from under her hand. She tried to find something to say, since she wasn't exactly experienced at comforting people. She trailed her gaze from him to his headband wrapped around her arm, and she began to unravel it, offering it to him once it was off. "Here."  
  
Her face fell as he made no sign of acknowledging the strip of cloth in her hand. She could feel the first signs of anger beginning to rise within her, but she pushed them down in favor of playing it cool. "Hey, cheer up, Vinnie! It's not that big of a deal, right? I mean, haven't I been calling you that since we met? Vinnie the vamp-"  
  
He cut her off with another glare, but this time she was too angry to pay heed to the fear that his anger inspired in her. "Look! I've had it up to here," she gestured with her hand to somewhere around her nose, "with your attitude, Vinnie! I understand that you're upset, and I'm more than a bit pissed myself, but that's NO reason-"  
  
He turned on her then, grabbing her arms and lowering his head to hers so fast that she didn't even have time to blink. She found herself gulping back her words as his angry dark eyes bore into her, and she felt fear run cold down her spine as he spoke. "You understand nothing," he told her, his voice like iced flames, cold but scathing. She winced as he tightened his grip on her arms, his claw very close to puncturing her delicate flesh.  
  
"Vinnie... it hurts..." She whimpered slightly, unable to grasp that this man who she'd come to trust so much was causing her pain. She stared into his eyes and saw the anger drain from them, replaced instead by shock. He released her and turned away.  
  
"Forgive me... Yuffie. I do not know what came over me," he said as he rose from the bed, staring down at his hands. "I shall leave now."  
  
Yuffie frowned and grabbed his cape, pulling backwards with all her strength. It had the desired effect. Vincent lost his balance and came crashing back down on the bed. The downside was, however, that he landed squarely on Yuffie. "What...?" He asked.  
  
"Ow..." She muttered as she squirmed out from under him. One leg remained pinned, but she managed to tower over his shocked face regardless. "Vincent Valentine! If you think I'm just gonna let you leave like that you're dead wrong! Don't give me that look!" She lectured as his face took on an expression of disbelief. "You and me need to have a little talk, mister. I. Am. Your. Friend. Whether you like it or not. And friends help each other, right? Right. So, I'm gonna help you deal with your vampire issues, 'kay?" She grinned and leaned down until her nose almost touched his nose. "Whether you want me to or not."  
  
Vincent's eyes widened at her speech, and Yuffie decided that he looked kinda cute when he was caught off-guard like that. She shifted her trapped leg slightly. "So if you could, uh, kindly release my leg..."  
  
His face took on an expression of detached curiosity. "And if I refuse?"  
  
Yuffie stared at him. "Uh, I hadn't thought of that..." She fumed at the small smirk that was forming on his face. "Vinnie, you have the weirdest mood swings I've ever seen! Going from murderous to playful like that!" She snapped her fingers, and noted with annoyance that his smirk grew at her ire.  
  
"I'm only trying to gauge your reaction. Since you see it fit to antagonize me by intruding upon my solitude, I decided that some retaliation is in order." Yuffie's eyes were so wide open that she was sure they would pop from her head shortly, and she was sure that her jaw was about to fall off at any moment.  
  
"Are you trying to tell me that YOU are teasing ME?" She asked. "NO WAY! I thought you were supposed to be moping?"  
  
"Well..." he raised an eyebrow at her. "I thought that was what you were against me doing?"  
  
She gaped at him, her witty comebacks having failed her. {Should'a known better than to pick a verbal spar with Mister Irony...} She glared at him. "If you don't move..."  
  
"What will you do?" he asked, a challenge gleaming in his eyes. Yuffie had never seen him so... well, playful. Maybe it was the alcohol.  
  
"I'll tickle you!" She threatened wiggling her fingers menacingly.  
  
His smirk widened even more. "I'm not ticklish." He informed her. And to further convince her of his lack of fright, he placed his arms behind his head and pretended to fall asleep.  
  
"Oh my gawd, Vinnie! What IS your problem, anyways?" she fumed, trying to dig the toe of her captured foot into his back.  
  
"If I'm not mistaken, it appears that you're the one with the problem, Yuffie. I am quite content to lie here, where you seem to have thrown me, and enjoy your frustration at your futile efforts to move me. As a sort of punishment for your insistence that I stay."  
  
Yuffie gave up her attempts to jab him. {C'mon, think! How am I supposed to move this weirdo? If I leave it up to him, we'll probably be here until Cloud and the others show up! I know! Maybe if I embarrass him, he'll get uncomfortable and move! Oh gawd... I hope this works...} She took a deep breath and squeezed her eyes tightly shut before reopening them and reaching a hand towards his cheek. "Vinnie..." she said, her voice low and flirty, the way she remembered the women at Costa del Sol talked.  
  
"Yes, Yuffie?" he asked, not opening his eyes. She gulped a bit and wound a lock of his hair around her finger. It was soft, and it moved through her fingers like spun silk. She tried not to get distracted by it.  
  
"Vinnie, would you please move...?" She asked sweetly, trying not to grind her teeth. {Please, Leviathan, let this work...} She ran a finger down his cheek, marveling at how smooth his skin was. "Pretty please?"  
  
She watched as his eyes shot open, and he gripped her hand in his human one. He slowly moved it from his face and turned his gaze on her. She felt some small satisfaction of seeing his face devoid of its previous smirk. "What do you think you're doing?" he asked, still gripping her hand.  
  
She scratched the back of her head with her free hand. "Just tryin' to see if that'd make you move. I think I'm losing feeling in my leg..."  
  
He sat up, and Yuffie felt a wave of relief wash over her, as well as the tingling of her newly released limb. She rubbed it with her hand, trying to get the blood flowing properly again. "Thank gawd!" She sighed. Then she noticed that Vincent was still gripping her hand in his. "Uh, Vinnie? Could I have my hand back now?"  
  
"Hm? Oh. Of course." She thought she heard him mumble something under his breath, but all she could make out was 'chaos', so she shrugged it off.  
  
"So, um..." Yuffie trailed off, not quite sure what to say. {Hey, at least it got him off! Vinnie's strange when he's like that... Now I know what drunk Vinnie's like. It's still no lampshade...} "H-hows about we go get somethin' to eat? The others still won't be here for a while."  
  
Vincent shook his head a bit before focusing on her, and she thought for a minute he would say no. But then he nodded slightly and stood from the bed once more. "Very well. Let us depart, then."  
  
Yuffie grinned and hopped up as well, somewhat relieved that Vincent was back to his old over-serious self. She wasted no time in dragging him through the snow, towards a small café she'd seen near the entrance of the town. It appeared to be the only new building in the whole town of Icicle Inn, and she couldn't wait to try it. She pulled him through the door and flagged down a waiter.  
  
"Table for two, please," she told the man, the smell of food making her stomach grumble in anticipation. "Preferably inside."  
  
"I am so sorry, Ma'am," the waiter bowed, running a hand nervously over his slicked back hair, "but we have no tables available indoors. I can, however, seat you outside...?"  
  
Yuffie was about to protest, but her stomach twisted in anger for being neglected for two days and she nodded. "Oh alright! Hurry it up!"  
  
The man sighed in relief and turned. "If you and your boyfriend would kindly follow me?" He said, guiding them out the doors.  
  
It took Yuffie's irate, hunger driven mind to register his words and she yelled after his retreating form. "He's NOT my boyfriend!" She then fumed as she set about scanning her menu for the most appetizing meal. When the waiter returned, she made it a point to make her order as frustrating and confusing as possible before Vincent cut in and explained what they wanted very simply and quickly.  
  
"Aw, you ruined my fun," she pouted, watched the hapless waiter's retreating form as he disappeared into the café. Vincent sighed.  
  
"I felt you had tormented him enough."  
  
They sat there in silence until their food arrived, and a euphoric expression dominated Yuffie's face as she took her first bite. "Mm... Not as good as your cooking, Vinnie, but GAWD!" She exclaimed before she proceeded to inhale the remaining morsels of food on her plate. Once she had almost literally licked her plate clean, she sat back and looked at Vincent.  
  
"Well?"  
  
"Well what?" he asked, delicately wiping his mouth with his napkin.  
  
"What're we do about this? About you being a... you know." She trailed off.  
  
"Technically, there should be no 'we' to this situation. However, since I doubt you will leave me in peace, I suppose 'we' should start with those books you received from Vic."  
  
"Yeah, but we can't read them!" She frowned, tapping absently at her plate with her fork.  
  
"Then we must find a linguistics scholar who does. Surely there is someone who knows this language," he told her gazing absently at what was left of his food.  
  
"Okay, that makes sense," she nodded. "So, what're we gonna tell Cloud and the others?" she asked, spearing a bit of his bacon with her fork and popping it thoughtfully into her mouth.  
  
She heard Cloud's voice behind her, full of curiosity. "Tell us what?"  
  
~*~ End Chapter ~*~  
  
~Dun dun DUN! Oh my, how ARE they going to break the news to the group? How LONG can I possibly keep this mother going? Find out later! ^_^ *Giggles* Drunken Vinnie... Too bad he wasn't quite drunk enough for that lampshade though, ne? That would be amusing... Remember, Kai with reviews is a happy and inspired Kai! Ja!~  
  
~Kai 


	10. New Plans

~Hi-hi! Wow, more Adri and Vic, huh? I feel so happy to know people like these sick spawn of my twisted mind. Well, my friend Erica helped make Vic, I just added on, ya know? Don't worry, they'll definitely make another appearance (I love them so much! ^_^). Thank you for your continued moral support everyone! You all give me my will to go on... Disclaimer: I have dreamed and dreamed the day would come, but I still don't own Final Fantasy or the characters in it. If I did, this story would be the next game (All us rabid Yuffentine fans would LOVE that, ne?).~  
  
Ninja  
  
~*~10~*~  
  
Yuffie stiffened and gulped, looking straight at Vincent. {Please don't let that be them...} She prayed frantically. {I still need to talk this over with Vinnie!} She grimaced before forcing a smile onto her face as she turned to face the man behind her. Sure enough, there stood Cloud, his face all awash with a kind of childish curiosity. Yuffie's smile became genuine at the sight of him, and he waved. "Oh, hiya Cloud! Vinnie and I were just talkin' about-"  
  
"Some personal matters. It need not concern you." Vincent interjected smoothly, setting down his napkin as a symbol of finality. He glanced around before facing Cloud once more. "Where are the others?"  
  
"Them? Oh... We went to Professor Gast's house first, and when we didn't find you we sorta split up," Cloud explained, leaning casually against the wall of the café. "It sure was a stroke of good luck that I happened to be passing by this place, huh?"  
  
"You guys got here faster than I thought you would!" Yuffie told him, hoping he'd take her questioning expression as a hint and explain himself.  
  
"Well, it seems Cid decided the Highwind could use a bit of remodeling while he was in Wutai so he sorta... improved it..." he informed her, scratching his head in a gesture that was so very familiar to Yuffie. She felt her stomach twist at the mention of the Evil Contraption of Flying Doom and she scrunched her face up.  
  
"Oh gawd... So that thing's all geared up to kick my gut's ass, huh? Crazy old man..." she mumbled before finishing off the last of her juice. She heard him chuckle.  
  
"Hey, look at it this way: At least it moves faster. Which means you spend less time on it, right?"  
  
Yuffie nodded, perking up almost as soon as he uttered his word of comfort. Cloud always managed to make her feel better, but Yuffie wasn't quite sure why... {He's just cool that way, I guess...} Yuffie giggled, recalling his various 'cool' poses.  
  
"What's so funny?" he asked, standing straight again and checking the wall. "Am I leaning in gum or something?"  
  
"No, no, don't worry about it!" she assured him as she stood. She looked over and saw Vincent rising as well. "Well, I guess we should get going, right? Don't wanna keep the others waiting too long now would we?" Yuffie grinned.  
  
Cloud nodded, and after giving his navy blue soldier outfit one more glance for gum, he began walking off towards Gast's old house. Yuffie darted up to walk beside him, grinning as she latched onto his arm in a semi-annoying fashion. "Sooooo, Cloud... What'd you and Tiffs do at Red's place?"  
  
"Nothing much, really," he answered. "It's been pretty quiet there. Don't tell Tifa, but I was bored to tears. She thought it was great to take a break from our jobs, but... I don't know, being surrounded by all the swords in my weapon shop really calms my nerves since we stopped fighting full time."  
  
Yuffie sighed in mock frustration. "You and your swords..."  
  
"I like swords!" he defended, though he grinned at her teasing.  
  
They continued on in this fashion all through their walk through the icy streets of Icicle Inn. Yuffie occasionally tried to pull Vincent into the conversation, and she was almost sure that she had made him smirk once, but he remained withdrawn throughout the walk. {Nothing new there, though.} She sighed as they came to the metal door that separated them from the warmth of the indoors.  
  
Cloud opened the door and stepped aside as Yuffie nearly trampled him in her haste to get through the door. "Hey there, guys! Guess who's back!!!!" She grinned widely as she smacked the nearest person hardily on the back.  
  
"Omph! Welcome back, Yuffie," Tifa greeted, straightening herself from Yuffie's unexpected assault. "Hi, Vincent. I see Cloud managed to find you all, huh?" She grinned at the spiky haired man. "Cid still isn't back, though. I suppose we should call him and let him know he can stop looking." She turned towards the stairs. "Shera? Hey, could you call Cid, please? Thanks!" she yelled before returning her attention back to Yuffie and Vincent. "So, what did you two do?"  
  
"Well, a bit of this, a little of that..."  
  
Yuffie and Tifa passed the time waiting for Cid by exchanging little stories. Tifa told Yuffie about a few things they did over the couple of days. Tifa did most of the talking, with Cloud adding helpful comments throughout, since most of what Yuffie had done tied into the kidnappers.  
  
After a few minutes of banter between the two girls, the door burst open. Yuffie spun around to see Cid standing in the doorway leaning heavily on his spear. He cursed profusely and grinned at the ninja girl. "Well I'll be damned! I thought for sure you'd have more *^%&in' bruises on ya than that! Good ta see you in one *&%in' piece, brat."  
  
Yuffie sprinted up to him and pounded him as hard as she could on the back. "You too, old man!" she grinned and bolted away before he could retaliate. He mumbled something obscene beneath his breath, but Yuffie paid him no attention as her eyes were drawn to the reddish-orange figure that waited patiently behind him. "Heya Red!" she waved at her old friend happily. "You decided to come, too? How've ya been? It's been sooooo long since I've seen you!"  
  
Red XIII chuckled and bounded gracefully over Cid's now half-slumped form, landing elegantly next to the excited girl. "I have been very well, thank you. And as pleased as I am to see you once more, I believe we should remove ourselves from the vicinity of the open door and an irate Cid."  
  
"Yeah," he giggled, following him down the stairs where the others had gone. "He might cuss continuously 'till our ears bleed." She stuck her tongue out at the scowl she had received from the now upright pilot and doubled her speed down the stairs.  
  
She continued her sprint down the stairs and leaped from the second stair onto the nearest person who happened to be standing haplessly nearby. This poor soul happened to be Cloud, and the two of them went crashing to the floor. They tumbled a few feet into Shera, knocking her to the ground as well but at least they had finally stopped. Yuffie was giggling like crazy and her laughter increased as she looked at Cloud.  
  
His eyes were wide and panicked, and his head swung back and forth as if surveying the room for danger. Shera glanced at him and began giggling as well. Cloud coughed slightly and scratched his head in embarrassment as the two girls laughed at his reaction. "Hey, that wasn't very nice, Yuffie!" he scolded, picking himself up from the floor.  
  
"I know, I know..." Yuffie grinned. "But still...!" She widened her storm gray eyes and mimicked him looking back and forth and fell back laughing once more. She felt her back collide with something hard and glanced up.  
  
Vincent's garnet eyes stared down at her. While his face remained expressionless, his eyes communicated his annoyance quite clearly. "If we're quite finished, I believe there are more pressing matters at hand."  
  
Yuffie pouted and jumped up. "Whatever ya say, Vinnie!" She winked, grinning broadly and jumping up on the bed. She cupped her hands around her mouth like a megaphone. "Let's get this meeting started, people!"  
  
Cid leaned in close to Vincent's ear, his voice just loud enough for Yuffie to hear. "*&%@. I can't believe you were able to (&^%$in' put up with her that ^%#$in' long!"  
  
She glared at him, but Cloud stepped up before she could retaliate.  
  
"Right. We all know that the kidnappers were here. But, because of some mishap, they know that we're on to them and have probably already left. Which leaves us back at square one." He sighed. "I suggest that we search their base for clues as to where they've gone, though I doubt we'll find much. Before we do, though, I'm interested in hearing about what happened here." He looked pointedly at Yuffie and Vincent.  
  
"Well..." Yuffie told them everything she could remember, with Vincent interjecting occasionally with a fact or two she'd forgotten or that only he'd noticed. She paid special attention when he described his infiltration of the lab to rescue her, though she felt he was leaving something out. Somehow, "I then met Adriana and overcame her spell. She then led me.." Didn't sound right. What spell? She'd asked, but he blew her off coolly and continued with his monologue. She was careful not to mention Vincent's 'condition' to them, and he seemed in no hurry to inform them himself.  
  
They were all silent for a moment once the two were finished talking, and then Yuffie remembered. "Hold on, I'll be right back!" She said, quickly standing and bolting up the stairs. She grabbed the stack of books Vic had given her and raced back, plopping down next to Nanaki. She held 'Isildous Vaspiris' in front of him. "Yo Red, can you read this?"  
  
The large feline's tail twitched in annoyance. "I can barely see it at this close range." He growled indignantly. Yuffie giggled slightly and set the book down by his paws.  
  
"Well?"  
  
Red XIII studied the title for a moment before carefully flipping the volume open. He squinted at the scrawled letters before shaking his head and glancing up at her. "I'm afraid I cannot. I've never seen a language like this before."  
  
"Where did you get this book, Yuffie?" Shera asked, picking it up and eyeing it thoughtfully. "It seems quite old."  
  
"Vic threw 'em at me when he 'returned' my journals." Yuffie drawled. "I was hoping Red here could tell me what language it was. HEY!" she jumped, turning to the rest of the group. "Do any of you guys know where there're lots and lots of old stuff? Like libraries? Wutai's out, I know that..."  
  
"Cosmo Canyon will also be of little help." Nanaki added.  
  
"Bone Village has lots of old artifacts..." Tifa offered. "But no books..."  
  
"How 'bout that (&%in' Ancient Village? It's pretty ^&%!in' old." Cid commented, taking a long drag on his cancer stick.  
  
"But there were no libraries there." Cloud said glumly.  
  
Tifa scratched her chin in thought. "True, we didn't see any... But we never thoroughly explored the whole place, either."  
  
"I believe you are all missing the big picture." Vincent's smooth voice interjected. "What would we do if we found this library? The fact remains that none of us are capable of deciphering this language."  
  
The entire group stared at him, faces downfallen. "Ruin the entire &(%*ing mood why don't you." Cid mumbled. "Damn vamp..."  
  
Yuffie thought she saw a flicker in Vincent's eyes, an unknown emotion, but it was gone as soon as it appeared. {Probably just a shadow.} She thought a few moments. "Hey, it's worth a shot, right?" She grinned at them. "Besides, I don't feel like heading back into that gloomy underground zombie hole anyways. Also, I've been ignoring my own quest for a while now, and I think a trip to the City of the Ancients could help. So, if it's alright with mister foul mouth..." She trailed off.  
  
"I don't mind flyin' the brat." Cid said. "What do you all think?"  
  
"I think Yuffie has a good idea." Tifa agreed. "Since Cloud doesn't think we'll find much here anyway, I don't see the harm in her going off to the City of the Ancients to try. Who knows, maybe she'll find some leads?"  
  
Cloud nodded. "I agree; it is worth a shot. Besides, Yuffie's old enough to do what she wants, right?" He grinned at her.  
  
"Of course!" She grinned back. {I knew Cloud understood me!}  
  
"However, I don't think she should go alone. Someone needs to be there in case of an emergency." Cloud continued. "I'd send Vincent, since he seems best suited for this sort of job..."  
  
"Heh, Vinnie seems suited for almost any job, as long as it doesn't involve people!" Yuffie joked.  
  
Cloud managed to keep a straight face. "But since we need him here, I think we should send Red XIII. You don't mind, do you Red?"  
  
He shook his head eagerly, his crimson mane flapping wildly. "Of course I don't mind! I mean..." he calmed down, abashed by his own outburst. "This sort of mission is perfect for me. Think of what I could learn..."  
  
Yuffie giggled at the feline's enthusiasm for knowledge. {Even the smallest chance to learn something new makes him seem like a kitten... Though I suppose he really isn't all that old, perspective wise...}  
  
Cloud nodded. "Well, I guess that's settled. You two get ready; we'll join you once we get through combing the kidnappers' base. Good luck, guys." He grinned at them once more and began conversing with Cid about travel time and supplies.  
  
Yuffie gathered the books together and dashed up the stairs to check her supply bag. {Hm... Better hit the item shop. Runnin' kinda low on cornucopia, and some bread would be a nice variation to my jerky diet...}  
  
Vincent's voice cut through her thoughts like a shurikan through excelsior. "What do you think you're doing?"  
  
"Checking my inventory. Duh!" She rolled her eyes at him.  
  
"That's not what I meant."  
  
"I know." She turned back to her bag. "I'm trying to help a friend. Besides, I'm curious about what these things say, too. Who knows, maybe they'll tell me where to find some rare materia!" She started laughing, her eyes sparkling with greed. It was as if she could see the shiny stones already.  
  
He sighed in defeat, and she could tell that he held no hope in her finding anything but broken shells. To be honest, she didn't think she'd do much better, but a break from him and his crazy hypno-powers and depression would do her some good. And she really did have a quest she needed to complete before she could go back home. {Or even call myself an official ninja...}  
  
The wind was cold as she left to find the item shop. Yuffie was used to it already, however, and the thick crimson coat kept her fairly comfortable as she trudged through the snowy streets of Icicle Inn.  
  
The proprietor of the store was a kindly looking old man who looked as if he could be related to the old woman who ran the clothes store. His blue eyes twinkled merrily behind half moon spectacles.  
  
"Welcome, young lady. My name's Charlie, doncha know. If you have any questions, I'll be happy to help you."  
  
Yuffie nodded absently, eyeing the shelves. "Hey old man, you got any cornucopia?"  
  
He smiled and reached for a box on a nearby shelf. "It just so happens that I do have some left, doncha know. Special sale, so they've sold quickly doncha know."  
  
"Good, gimme all of it!" she said, slapping some gil on the table.  
  
Charlie counted out his sum and pushed the cornucopia towards her along with her change. "Be sure to visit my son if you're travelin' towards Mideel. He's the new owner of the item shop there, doncha know. He and my young grandson. Mention old man Charlie an' he'll give you a discount, doncha know."  
  
"Thanks!" Yuffie said, filing the information away for future reference. {Who knows, I might just visit the hot springs there later} She stuck the cornucopia in her bag and waved goodbye to old man Charlie before heading back out towards Professor Gast's house.  
  
"Yuffie! This way!" She turned towards the voice and saw Red XIII and Cid waving her in their direction. "Cloud decided that we were to find you and head to the City of the Ancients as soon as possible." Red explained as they walked. "And to say 'hi' to Aeris while we are there."  
  
Yuffie nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure she'll like that." {After all, it's been a long time since I visited her grave. Cloud must feel bad that he can't go, too.}  
  
They traveled swiftly through the snow, the monsters so intimidated by them that few dared to actually attack. They talked and joked among each other, Nanaki having to play to role of big brother to scold the two children for fighting too much. Yuffie found this funny, since Cid was supposed to be the old man of the group.  
  
When the Highwind finally came into view, Yuffie was so ecstatic that she nearly forgot that she hated it. She cheered and practically skipped to their destination. The sun glinted brightly off the shiny hull of the airship, and Yuffie had to marvel at the reconstruction job Cid had done. Considering its condition at the crater, the pilot had done masterful work. {Never would have guessed this thing had been through Hades and back... I guess the old man's not half bad.}  
  
"So, how fast does it go now?" She asked.  
  
"This baby'll get us there in a couple of minutes since it's so (^%&in' close anyway. You might not even have time to get puke all over everything this time." He grinned as the ladder descended and began to climb.  
  
Yuffie climbed after him, and watched as the special barred platform was lowered for Nanaki. Since he wasn't built for climbing rope ladders all that well, Shera had invented a special platform to lift him on and off the Highwind. There were bars on all sides to keep him from falling off, but they were short enough for him to jump over easily. He smiled at her as he was lifted past, and she almost wished she could ride in it once. {Hell of a lot faster, anyway.}  
  
"Hey brat," she heard Cid call to her as she pulled herself up over the side. "I just remembered. You owe me some gil. Pay up!"  
  
"..." Yuffie stared at him. {Shit! I thought for sure he'd forgotten! Damn it!} "W-what're you talkin' about old man?"  
  
"You know damn well what I'm talking about! In fact, I think I should get extra, seeing as how I've done a fine job of restoring this 'rust bucket'!"  
  
Yuffie sighed in defeat and forked over the gil. {It really isn't much but... It's the principal of the thing!} "You would pick right now to remember it, wouldn't you?"  
  
"Well, things were too *)%&ing rushed last time." He waved absently, tossing his now useless cigarette over the side and heading towards the door. "You better get inside. We're taking off soon."  
  
Yuffie sighed and headed in as well. He stomach was already tying in knots, and the damn ship wasn't even off the ground yet. {Oh goody. At least it's gonna be a short trip. Hey, I wonder if Rikku's still here?} She headed for the Highwind's chocobo stables to see whether or not they'd taken her Rikku to Chocobo Bill's or not.  
  
She was greeted by an enthusiastic 'Wark!" as soon as she opened the stable's doors. She looked around and whistled. "Whoa, Cid really remodeled this place!"  
  
The room had been expanded, and was now able to comfortably house at least six chocobos. Well, provided they got along, anyway. She said hello to Cecil, Rosa, Auron, and Cid's green Setzer before stopping at Rikku and petting her. "Hey there, Rikki! Sorry I was gone so long. Look, I brought you a gift!" She handed her a Sylkis green and watched as the gold devoured it happily. The other chocobos watched her imploringly, and she laughed before handing them each their own favorite greens.  
  
"Whoa, guys, don't crowd me!" She laughed as they warked and butted her affectionately with their heads. Her stomach lurched suddenly as the airship lifted from the ground, and she grabbed Setzer to steady herself. The green chocobo didn't seem to mind, and she patted him weakly. "Heh, at least you're more agreeable than old Cid."  
  
She managed to release him eventually, and tried vainly to walk out the door. {Oooh... This damn deathtrap...} She leaned against the wall as she inched out into the large room beyond. "See ya... guys." She called back to the chocobos as the door sealed shut behind her. She managed to walk shakily to the stairs that led to the control room and groaned as she started to climb them.  
  
"Hell..." she mumbled, plopping down on the second stair and leaning her head back. She closed her eyes and leaned against the wall. {If they want me, I'll be right here... No sense climbing those damn stairs when I'll just have to climb back down soon anyway... I wonder if Cid's gonna lower us down like he did last time? It's faster, so probably... Uhg...} The ship gave the slightest jerk and she couldn't think well any more.  
  
"Are we there yet?"  
  
~*~End Chapter~*~  
  
~Wow, sorry this's so late, guys. I blame a lot of things, like computer problems, bad connection, family, school... But mainly, it was writer's block coupled with laziness, new video games and anime. But primarily laziness. In another note: Cloud's "I like swords!" quote. I've been reading way too much 8-bit Theater, and couldn't get Fighter out of my head at the time. Cid's chocobo. I *think* that Setzer is the name of FFVI's gambling airship pilot, but I'm not quite sure at the moment. Let me know if it's wrong and I'll change it later. Ja ne!~  
  
~Oh yeah, special thanks to MisaosChao for e-mailing me to get off my lazy ass and write. (I think the name's right, but if it's not, I'll change it later...)  
  
~Kai 


	11. Day at the Beach

~Hi-hi! Hm, ever wonder what happened to those crazy kidnappers? No? Didn't think so. But Noisulli (Erica) was a bit irate that Vic wasn't in the last chapter, so….. This is another chapter just for the other guys. So if you don't really give a damn about them and just want Yuffie and Vinnie goodness, you may as well skip this here chapter. If you are actually interested in them, read on! Also, as a warning, this chapter here is one of the reasons it's an 'R' rated fic. It contains sexual situations not suitable for kids and could be considered dark. Maybe. You decide. Disclaimer: Nope. Don't own it. I do, however, claim all rights to Vic, Cyrus, Adriana, Aileen, Claude, and any other characters in this story not appearing in FFVII.~  
  
Ninja  
  
~*~11~*~  
  
Adriana yawned and stretched leisurely atop the soft fabric of the towel that separated her delicate skin from the sand. She held one arm in front of her and wrinkled her nose a bit. {It's times like now when I realize just how pale I am.} She thought, glancing enviously from her arm to the deeply tanned women that also lounged across the beach. {I do wish that I could look like that. But at least I don't burn, so I guess that's an upside.}  
  
Her eyes caught with those of two particularly foul looking bruisers and she tried not to notice their lewd gazes traveling the length of her body. {Eww, are they wearing Speedos?} She shook her head in disgust. {Those things barely cover anything! And I think those were a couple of sizes too small, anyway…..} She ignored them and continued to bask in the warmth of the sun.  
  
Cyrus had decided to lay low in Costa del Sol. He'd said that a vacation would do the family good, and that the change was so drastic that V.V. and his friends would never even dream of looking for them here. Adriana had had no problems. After all, she loved the sound of the ocean waves and the laughter of children playing in the water and the feel of the warm sun on her body. Her only regret was that she couldn't share this experience with Aileen. After all, she'd just barely managed to find a way to bring Aileen with her, away from the dismal lab/prison/fortress and find a place to hide her that wasn't very far. Fortunately, she'd managed to befriend a large man in the nearest town who happened to have a daughter of his own. By posing as Aileen's mother who desperately needed a babysitter during her business tip, she had managed to get him to look after her. Besides, by that time Aileen had already made that Marlene girl her 'little sister' and the large man couldn't refuse.  
  
She giggled softly. {Who knew that such an intimidating man would have such a big heart? I'm so glad that Cyrus decided to skip Corel. After all, Marlene is such a sweet child. A bit shy, maybe…..} A shadow fell over her, blocking the warm sunlight and she glared up in annoyance.  
  
{Those two steroid-pushers from before…..} "Can I help you, gentlemen?" she asked, forcing herself to sound as pleasant as possible. She fought down the feeling of disgust that rolled over her as their eyes roved the contours of her body. After all, the skimpy bikini she was wearing didn't leave much to the imagination. {And I'm pretty sure they don't have much of one.}  
  
The one with brown hair snickered and elbowed his blond partner. "Yeah, you can help us."  
  
The blond nodded. "Yeah, wanna come have fun with us?" He flexed his oversized muscles in what he must have assumed was an enticing manner.  
  
Adriana paused before answering. It was true that she could drain these two saps of their energy before they even got around to removing her bikini top, but….. She never had been interested in overly muscular or particularly dumb and boring people. And these two weight-lifting rejects were both of these in extremes. Besides, they were making her feel violently ill just by looking at her, so she didn't think she could bring herself to get close enough to drain them.  
  
"Sorry boys," she drawled, glancing away from them, "I'm not in the mood for 'fun' right now."  
  
They stared at her, and she could feel the anger dripping from their confused minds. {Obviously they aren't used to rejection. I'd better elaborate.} "Do you mind? You're blocking my light."  
  
They grunted in fury, and the blond moved to strike at her in his rage. Before either one could move far, however, Adriana heard two rather solid sounding 'thuds'. Their eyes rolled back into their heads before they fell unconscious to the ground. She looked at her savior standing almost nonchalantly behind them, his white hair ruffled by the sea breeze.  
  
"Why Vic! I didn't know you cared!" She teased. He coughed slightly and turned his head away from her, facing the sea.  
  
"Not particularly," he replied evenly. "But I dislike their kind. Men like them shouldn't be allowed to roam public places like that." He slung one of them almost effortlessly over his shoulder, drawing stares from the other beach goers. After all, both men weighed easily two-something pounds, and Vic didn't look all that strong. He tossed the man unceremoniously in a ditch away from them, out of sight, and repeated the procedure with the other man.  
  
Adriana grinned at him, taking in his attire. It was rare she saw him wear anything other than his battered version of a SOLDIER uniform. He looked good in swimming trunks, his body perfectly toned due to his intensive hours of dedicated training. {Not too muscular, not too lean….. A bit pale, maybe…..}  
  
She must have been drooling, because Vic seemed to get fairly uncomfortable. He, of course, covered it up in his usual calm and cool way. Namely, he turned slightly red and an annoyed look crossed his face. "Put your eyes back in your head, Adri."  
  
"Aw….. You're no fun!" she pouted, sticking her tongue out at him. He rolled his crimson eyes back at her and shook his head slightly. He turned away from her, heading towards the water.  
  
"Don't forget to PADDLE!" She called out, moving her hands in a doggie-paddling motion. Back when she had taught he and Claude how to swim, Vic had been slow to grasp the concept of paddling to stay above the water. Adriana remembered this, and no matter how good of a swimmer he had become, she never let him live it down. He turned back to glare at her, and she thought for a moment he might flick her off, but he just waved and continued on his way to the water. She sighed and leaned back again, her green locks flowing lazily over her pale arms and closed her golden eyes.  
  
After all, it really was a beautiful day to spend at the beach.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
He heard them, giggling madly in the hazy corner of the smoke-filled bar. He swirled his drink and pretended not to notice. After all, with no current need of test subjects, Cyrus had no real interest in the two dark skinned beauties in the corner. After all, when all was said and done, they really were no match for his beautiful Adriana. {Ana…..} His heart gave its usual wrench at the remembrance of what he'd done to his only love, but he pushed it aside. {After all, this way she's pretty forever, right? Of course…..}  
  
"Hey, handsome….." a low, feminine voice purred into his ear. He felt a surge of annoyance that the girls had interrupted his train of thought, but he supposed it was for the best. He glanced up from his drink and smiled pleasantly at them.  
  
"O-oh. Hello, ladies," he smiled absently at them. He hid his annoyance at having forgotten to choose his words carefully. He had a tendency to stutter at times, and whenever he forgot to concentrate he lapsed into it. The two women didn't seem to mind, however. They probably thought it was rather cute.  
  
"You here all by yourself?" the other girl asked. Her voice was higher pitched than her friend's, and sounded more flirty than seducing. Her eyes were a light almond color that went well with her deeply tanned skin and dark black hair.  
  
He nodded and sipped his drink, the sweetness of the tropical alcohol tingling his tongue. "Yes. I'm taking a break from work, I suppose you could say."  
  
The first girl let out a throaty laugh, obviously sensing money. "Ooh, handsome and well provided for! Not bad, right Fi?" Her voice was deep and sensual, but Cyrus had never been very fond of girls her type. She was pretty as well; with deeply browned skin and eyes so dark they were nearly black. The blond highlights she'd added to her dark brown hair shone in stark contrast to the rest of her.  
  
"Yeah….." she giggled faintly, obviously very taken with him. Cyrus found himself liking this giggly girl.  
  
"Forgive my lack of manners, ladies," he said, staring deeply into giggly one's almond eyes, "but we haven't been properly introduced, yet. I am Ciro. May I have the pleasure of your names?"  
  
The girl blushed madly beneath his gaze and appeared to be too embarrassed to speak. Her friend, however, had no problem purring their names into his ear. "Of course. I'm Mahalah. And my giggly friend here is Fiona. It's a pleasure to meet you, Ciro….."  
  
Cyrus shivered slightly. Mahalah had a heavy accent and a tendency to roll her 'r's that set him in edge. {Heh, I just now remember that I'm really not all that good at talking to girls….. Oh well, I've been able to get through this sort of thing before…..} "T-the pleasure is mine, dear lady. Such lovely names you both have." {Accursed speech impediment!}  
  
Fiona had stopped giggling and was eyeing his attire with interest. "Aren't you awfully warm in that outfit?" she asked. Her accent was not as heavy as that of her friend's, but she sounded much more innocent.  
  
He glanced down. His white, button-up shirt was made of a light material, as were his black pants. Still, in the hot, humid weather of Costa del Sol, he supposed he did seem a bit over-dressed. He laughed nervously. "Oh. I'm alright. I'm afraid that I'm a bit conservative by nature, and I feel a little awkward in anything less." In fact, he felt odd even in this. It was rare that he wore anything other than his rather long and flowing lab coat and thick pants over his overly shiny black boots.  
  
"Ooh, that's so cute, right Fi? Maybe I can help loosen you up some, hm…..?" Mahalah winked suggestively at him.  
  
{This girl is really trying my patience….. Still, she'd make an interesting specimen…… Perhaps a lycanthrope…..} His charming smile redoubled and he made a point to look over his glasses into her eyes. "Perhaps you might….. A gorgeous lady such as yourself paying me such attention is so rare an occurrence that I just don't know how to respond."  
  
"I know!" Fiona exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "Let's go for a walk! I' really like to get to know you better, Ciro….."   
  
Her smile was both flirty and shy, and Cyrus was reminded of Adriana once more. "You know, I would be honored to have the privilege of walking with you two elegant angels. Ah, so lucky a man I am to be blessed with meeting such exotic beauties!" He finished the remains of his drink and stood, bowing slightly to the two girls before linking their arms in his, causing one to blush and the other to giggle and wink again. And so, amidst the jealous stares of the rest of the male patrons, he made his exit, the two unfortunate girls by his side.  
  
The air, while typically scorching, had a somewhat pleasant breeze that ruffled Cyrus's unkempt blond hair and made the trees sway to and fro. He turned his bright gray eyes to capture Fiona's glance. "So, where were you lovely ladies planning on taking me?"  
  
Fiona's reply was flustered, and she blushed profusely as she responded. "I….. W-well, we….."  
  
"Oh, I thought we might swing by my place for a bit while we get you to 'relax'," Mahalah's smooth, seductive voice flowed from his right. He turned to smile somewhat shyly at her before grinning a bit.  
  
"That sounds nice to me….. But do you mind if I stop by my hotel to get something? I won't take long….." He winked at her, and she seemed to falter a bit before slipping back into her usual flirty expression.  
  
"Of course," She smiled. "Fi and I will wait right outside for you, cutie….."  
  
They walked to the hotel where Cyrus took his momentary leave of them. He walked swiftly to his room, nodding absently at the clerk on duty as he entered. He scanned the room before his eyes landed on the object of his search, his briefcase. He stooped to retrieve it before the hushed voices of a conversation could be heard outside the open window above him. He stayed silent as he identified the to voices as those of his previous female companions.  
  
"I don't wanna do this, Mal," the younger girl's voice protested, "I like him. I say we just leave."  
  
"C'mon, Fi! We have this sucker in the palm of our hands! It'll be simple, quick, and the poor sap won't know what happened 'till he wakes up in the morning with his pockets lighter. Trust me, I know his type. In a few days, you won't even remember Zero."  
  
"It's 'Ciro'!"  
  
Cyrus chuckled darkly as he grabbed his case and moved away from the window. {So the snake shows her true form, hm? Yes….. I don't feel so bad about this anymore.} He stood and straightened his hair a bit before turning to rejoin his quarreling female companions.  
  
"Oh, hi there, cutie!" Mahalah called, waving to him. Fiona simply gave him a sad smile.  
  
"I'm sorry," she said, bowing apologetically, "but I'm afraid I can't join you. I-I must go visit my sister. I just remembered that I have to baby-sit soon. G-goodbye, Ciro."  
  
{Ah, so she couldn't go through with it after all. She really is a good girl.} He bowed and kissed her hand, causing her to blush as she turned away. "Very well, fair Fiona. Your beauty will be sorely missed." He turned back to the remaining girl and smiled charmingly. "Shall we be off, then? At least I am still graced with one beauty!" He linked her arm in his as she led the way.  
  
"Ooh, what's that?" She asked, eyeing the rather large and expensive case at his side.  
  
He simply wagged his finger back and forth in a scolding gesture. "Now now, it a surprise. It's simply something to make this evening more enjoyable."  
  
"Oh, I can't wait!" She exclaimed, clapping her hands together. Her eyes sparkled as her gaze lingered on the case. {She's probably wondering how much she can get for it…..} They stooped when they came to a small house, and she winked at him as she unlocked the door. She held it open and gestured for him to enter.  
  
The house was dimly lit, the only real light was that of the sun spilling in from the doorway. The windows were all draped in heavy, concealing drapes, blocking any more light than that from entering. Cyrus frowned, careful not to let the girl see. It was much too dark for what he had planned. Fortunately he had a lantern that would provide sufficient light. Mahalah closed the door firmly behind them and moved the sit on the plush that lined the nearby wall.  
  
"Why don't you take off that hot shirt and come have a seat, cutie? I'll help you loosen up a bit….." She smiled seductively and patted the seat beside her.  
  
Cyrus responded with a slightly shy smile of his own as he unbuttoned the white garment. His smile turned to one of amusement as he studied her reaction. Her eyes were wide, and she appeared to be blushing a bit. For such a bookish type, his body was athletically built, and his muscles nicely toned. It was clear that this girl had not been expecting such a fine example of the male species to be hidden beneath his rather conservative shirt. He stretched a bit, stifling a grin as she practically drooled, before sitting in the spot she had indicated.  
  
Her hands immediately wrapped around his neck to pull him into a deep kiss. He blinked for a moment, caught off guard by her sudden movement, before he responded. {After all, I may as well let her have her fun first…..} Her smooth hands ran over his back, exploring, seemingly unused to this fine of a specimen. He replied by moving his own hands almost expertly through her hair and down to cup her face as their tongues danced. He moved one hand down to massage one of her breasts and chuckled as she moaned much too readily.  
  
He spent a few minutes teasing her, his hands running over her body in places he knew most women were sensitive before he removed her skimpy dress and lavished his attention on her using both hands and mouth. Her moans, which had started out half false, soon turned to genuine, desperate pleas for more. When he had her reduced to begging for him to touch her most sensitive area, he stopped, reaching for his briefcase.  
  
She let out a disappointed and frustrated protest at his lack of contact and he chuckled. "Hold on….. I'm just getting something to heighten the experience." He soothed her as he opened the case and took out a silken blindfold. He tied it around her eyes securely before spending a few more minutes running his hands over her body and forcing her moans to sound through the room once more. He finally moved one hand away from her to search through his case for the pre-filled needle he knew was in there. His hand made contact with the smooth glass as other hand trailed its way down Mahalah's stomach to her most sensitive area. He rubbed her through her panties, not really wanting to touch her there as she not his love. It was enough for her over-stimulated body, however, and as she experienced her wave of pleasure he inserted the needle into her arm, injecting the clear fluid into her bloodstream. She soon went still, the chemicals having done their work.  
  
He sat up and ran his hand through his hair again before locating his discarded glasses and placing them on his nose once more. He removed the empty needle from her arm and placed it carefully back in its place before standing and leaving in search of a platform suitable for his needs. He wandered until he finally came across a decently high table. He set his case down and went to retrieve the girl he'd left unconscious on the couch. She was light, and easy to move to his new place of work.  
  
He searched for a light, but the one that was supposed to illuminate the room was apparently burnt out, so he would have to make due with his lamp. {Ah, how I miss my lab in the snowy haven of the north! I shudder to think of what that crude V.V. and his group must be doing to it…..} He washed his hands absently before pulling in a pair of operating gloves as he stared down at his beautiful and unexpected project.  
  
"What should we do with you…..?" He asked he softly as he looked through his stored chemicals and samplings of creatures. "I was planning on a lycanthrope….. But you proved that your nature was so much more venomous. So I think, for a serpent such as yourself….. A Lamia is perhaps the most fitting." He selected a vial of bluish-green liquid and a fresh needle before filling it. "I've only ever tried to create one Lamia before, you know. Unfortunately, my attempt was unsuccessful. But, I'm almost certain, to a 98.3 percentage, that I've found and corrected the error." He smiled, the same charming smile that he'd used before, even though Mahalah could neither see nor hear him. "I hope, for your sake, that I'm correct."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Adriana yawned again before deciding that she'd spent enough time baking. She stood and stretched, making sure that the male populace got a hefty eyeful of her perfect body before walking towards the water. She tested it with her toe first, to gauge how cool it was before running in. The water was cool on her hot skin, and she sighed happily before allowing herself to float. She stared at her pale arm and sighed. {No matter how long I spend out here, I'll never get any darker….. So much for those dreams of exotic dark tans for me!} She continued to pout until she suddenly felt two strong arms wrap around her waist and yank down. She let out a shriek before she managed to hold her breath.  
  
She was about to give up her struggle for air when she was lifted up again. She gasped in the blessed oxygen and turned to face her assailant. Her golden eyes met with amused ruby and she found herself unable to do much more than gape. His strong hands were still wrapped securely around her slender arms and she had a good view of his almost godlike chest. His white hair was plastered securely to his face and his lips were curled into a mischievous half-smirk. He leaned close to her ear, and his wondrous voice drowned out her cohesive thoughts.  
  
"Don't…..forget…..to…..paddle….." He whispered. Suddenly, she found herself pushed back down into the water before she could register what he'd even said. She resurfaced and glared angrily at him.  
  
"VIC! You, you….. YOU JERK!" She yelled, splashing him angrily. He laughed and retaliated with a distracting splash of his own before disappearing under the water.  
  
She tried to follow him with her eyes, but he moved much too fast for her. Before she even knew what was happening, she felt his hands wrap around her ankles and felt herself being lifted into the air before she was tossed back into the water. She gasped and glared at him again before starting an all out splash war.  
  
In fact, she was so caught up with trying to subdue Vic with her vicious splashes that she didn't notice the figure behind her until she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist. She shrieked again and turned to face the new assailant, finding herself lost in the all consuming gray eyes of Cyrus.  
  
"Why Cyrus, dear! I'm surprised to see you out here! And swimming! I- oh my….." Her eyes trailed over his sculpted chest and she felt for sure that if there was a heaven, this was as close as she'd get. Swimming with two of the absolutely most gorgeous men she'd ever seen was paradise to her! {Just missing one…..} She sighed wistfully, long brown hair and mako eyes flitting briefly through her mind. "My, darling, you should go swimming more often!" She teased, reaching up to tweak his nose.  
  
He sighed, his smile reflecting nothing but love and adoration for her as he stared into her eyes. "Perhaps….. It is a prime opportunity to spend time with the two of you, since you both love the ocean so much."  
  
She smiled, but it was somewhat diminished by the reflection she saw in his eyes. It was her, yes, but the old her. Cyrus still saw her as she had been, before her nightmare. {Still living in the past with a girl who's as good as gone and deluding himself into thinking we're a 'happy family'….. Don't think about it, Adri. Just go along with it. Maybe, for today, you can be…..} She forced her golden eyes to meet the blue eyes of the girl reflected in his gaze and smiled once more.  
  
"So, what've you been up to, sweetie?" She asked, moving a wet blond lock of his hair from his face to behind his ear.  
  
"Oh, nothing much." He shrugged casually and captured her lips with his before quickly pulling back and smiling at her shocked expression. "Now, how about we all pick up where you two left off, hm?  
  
Adriana had a bad feeling that Cyrus wasn't being truthful about his actions away from them, but she wasn't about to press the issue. And, once the laughter of the three grew loud, she forgot the feeling altogether. In that moment, all was right in the world.  
  
~*~End Chapter~*~  
  
~Wow, that was certainly something, ne? To be honest, I wasn't expecting things with Cyrus to go that far, but….. Oh well. What'd you think? Anyways, the next chapter will get back to Yuffie and Vinnie, I SWEAR! Man, Cyrus is one sick bastard, ne? Side note: A Lamia, if you don't know, is a mythical creature that has the torso of a female and the body of either a snake or a lion. Lamias with snake bodies are called noble lamias, and are the type normally featured in Final Fantasy games.~  
  
~Kai 


	12. Red Moon

~Hi-hi! With the new computer comes my renewed passion for writing! YAY NEW COMPUTER!!! And, yay, this new chapter here is even out in time for my birthday. YAY MY BIRTHDAY!!! So, without further ado, the next chapter! Disclaimer: Why do I bother…? You know I don't own FFVII.  
  
Ninja  
  
~*~12~*~  
  
She cursed as she stumbled over yet another rock. "Gawd! Why do there have to be so *&^%ing many of these damn loose pebbles? My feet hurt!"  
  
Red XIII chuckled at her. He himself was having no problems on the rough terrain, and at the moment Yuffie really wished she had four paws instead of her two feet. {Or at least that damn catlike agility…}  
  
"Perhaps we should rest while you regain your footing and your temper?" he snickered at her.  
  
"Ooh, that's it! You are SO dead, Red!" she snarled and began to chase him. {After all, that's only the fiftieth time he's implied I can't keep up today!} "Get back here and fight like a man, you kitten!"  
  
Red, however, simply laughed at her feeble attempts to provoke him and bounded off. At least the path he was leading her down wasn't very rocky. She took notice of the trees around her as she ran and noticed why. He was leading her down the main road that led to the heart of the Ancient capital. {Oh… I guess he wants to visit Aeris's grave first. Heh, I'm cool with that…}  
  
The large cat came to an abrupt halt in front of her, right at the spot where the trees gave way to the clearing. Yuffie, unprepared for his sudden halt, yelped and tried to stop. Her foot landed on one of the accursed pebbles, however, and she lost her balance and crashed into him, sending them both tumbling over one another.  
  
"Ow… What the hell didja stop for!? The least you could do is warn me, you flea ridden…!" She trailed off, the sound of musical giggling ringing through the clearing. She looked up in surprise.  
  
There, sitting next to the flowers that surrounded the clear pool of water was a woman. Her long, somewhat unevenly cut red hair was illuminated by the sun that shone through the trees and pulled back into two ponytails. Her dress was long and simple, green pulled over a white turtleneck sweater, and her eyes were hidden by the glare of the sun glinting off of her enormous glasses. Yuffie gaped.  
  
"Excuse me, miss," Red said, shifting out from under Yuffie and pulling himself in a more dignified position, "but may I ask why you are here? One does not often see people in this dangerous and remote area."  
  
The girl stopped giggling and instead simply smiled. "Oh, of course. I'm here to study this place. You see, I'm sort of a researcher. They told me that I would meet very special people if I waited here. Are you them? The people who saved the planet?"  
  
Yuffie pulled herself up and grinned. "Yep! We sure are! Wait, who's 'they'?"  
  
The other female seemed quite taken aback but quickly recovered herself. "Oh! Forgive my rudeness! I've been talking away and we haven't even been introduced! My name is Mizu Koorime, a sort of rogue researcher of old cultures. The Ancient civilization is the closest to me, though."  
  
"Nice to meetcha! I'm the greatest ninja in the world, Yuffie Kisaragi!" The self proclaimed greatest ninja extended her hand to Mizu, who took it and shook with her politely.  
  
"And I am Nanaki, guardian of Cosmo Canyon," he nodded his head to her. "But you may call me Red XIII if you wish. Now, what were you saying about 'them'?"  
  
"Oh, you know… 'them'." Mizu looked a bit distressed. "You mean, you saved the planet and still cannot hear them? Oh, that's right… You aren't… The voices of the planet. I-I speak to them. And one of them told me you were coming here, so I waited. I don't know what help I could be, but…"  
  
"Whoa! You mean you're an Ancient!? Weren't they all killed?" Yuffie was staring at her with wide eyes, and Mizu blushed slightly under all of the attention.  
  
"Well, most of them," she explained, "But like the one who told me to wait, there were survivors. Very few, however, and I have yet to find more than a couple of more like myself. Which is why I'm studying them, their way of life. And, if I can help you…"  
  
"You say we need help, yet how would you know? Unless…" Nanaki trailed off. "The one you speak of… Describe them."  
  
"I did not see, yet… A soft female voice, very musical and a pleasure to listen to. She spoke very highly of you all, and said you could use my help. That's… really all I know." She bowed apologetically.  
  
{Aeris…} From the look on Red XIII's face, he'd come to the same conclusion. {Unless this Mizu girl's another of Cyrus's lackeys… Still, if she can translate these books, she'll be useful}  
  
"Tell us, what do you know of languages?" Nanaki asked, studying her with his eye. He seemed to trust her, and Yuffie had heard that animals had a sixth sense for these things, so…  
  
The girl seemed to brighten even more at the mention of languages. "Oh! I love them! In fact, I'm a linguists scholar more than anything. You kind of have to be in my line of work. Do you…" She leaned forward, and Yuffie could see bright emerald eyes behind the glasses, "Do you need something translated? I love translations!"  
  
Yuffie stared at her a few moments. "Isildous Vaspiris." She said simply.  
  
Mizu blinked and thought for a moment. "Hm… It sounds like the Ancient tongue… 'The Transformation of the Night Lord?' Or to be short, 'Vampire's Curse.' I think that's right…" She stared at them. "You have a written document of the Ancient's folklore!? Oh, may I see it? Please?"  
  
The young ninja-in-training was taken aback by the woman's eager pleas to see a dirty old book, but she wasn't going to look a gift linguist in the mouth. Or, er, whatever the saying was. She looked at Red and they both nodded. "Great! Now we can just kick back while you figure out what these old rags say!"  
  
"T-these!?" Mizu's voice was overflowing with excitement. "Y-you mean there are more?"  
  
Yuffie nodded and pulled the stack of tomes from her pack. The other woman gave a squeal of delight and hugged them close, as if verifying their existence. "Oh, I'll get started right away! Here, let's go to my camp. I set up in one of the shell houses, follow me!" Mizu practically skipped off in the direction of the cracked shells, and Yuffie simply shook her head as she fell into step with Nanaki.  
  
"Yo Red, what do you think? Just so I know I'm not the only one screwing up by trusting a total stranger this time."  
  
The orange feline chuckled. "I trust her. She doesn't smell like one with impure intentions, and besides, she's the only lead we have if we're to translate those documents. Which leads me to wonder: Why are you so interested in their translation? Materia certainly can't be the whole cause. You seem secretive lately, more so than usual. Is it perhaps something pertaining to Vincent?"  
  
Yuffie nearly tripped at his perceptiveness, but managed to keep her footing somewhat steady. "Aw, c'mon Red! You know Vinnie wouldn't want me to help him!" She lowered her voice into a poor impersonation of Vincent's, complete with melodramatic hand gestures. "Yuffie! You must not trouble yourself with such a lowly monster such as I! I must atone by myself!"  
  
She heard Nanaki laughing beside her at her rather masterful (in her humble opinion) impersonation of the dark ex-Turk.  
  
The moment they reached Mizu's temporary home, the studious Ancient wasted no time in setting the books lovingly on her work table and beginning her work immediately. She was entranced, and the occasional 'hm…' or 'wow!' would issue forth from her. She scribbled notes down in a separate notebook, but Yuffie couldn't quite make out the writing. After about half an hour of watching her enraptured researcher at her work, Yuffie found herself growing restless. Nanaki, it seemed, was quite content to watch Mizu in her learning, and was obviously waiting for her to finish and share the knowledge she was gleaning with him.  
  
The short-haired girl walked to the entrance of the building and looked back. "Hey, I'm goin' outside for awhile! I'll be back later! See ya!" And with that, she was out the door and off to find something to do.  
  
The sun gleamed beautifully in the afternoon sky, its heat a great contrast to the chill of the northern winds. There wasn't a cloud in the entire azure sky, and Yuffie felt that this was a great day for adventuring. {Heh, now that my feet don't hurt so much. Goddamned rocks…} Still, she couldn't stray too far. She would have to find something nearby to occupy her time and kill her boredom…  
  
She spent most of her time finding poor little monsters to kill, deciding that raiding their bodies for a bit of gil would be fun as well as profitable. None of the poor bastards even had a chance against her mad shuriken skills, and she felt her tension melt away in the heat of her slaughter fest. In fact, she had become so caught up in her 'fun' that she hadn't even noticed the sun's position. It was almost twilight. {Oh wow, I'd better be heading back. Don't want 'em to worry about me too much!}  
  
She managed to find her way back fairly easily. In fact, there was a full moon out to guide her way. But, she noticed that the moon looked rather sinister this night. It was large and stained an insidious red, the color of fresh blood. Yuffie shuddered, and stepped quickly inside. In Wutai, stories of the red moon were told often. It was a bad omen, a sign of terrible tragedy. Children were never allowed to play outside on the rare evenings one was seen, and protection amulets were hung on most doors, a petition to Leviathan to watch over their households and protect them from the shadowed evils that the red moon brought. Yuffie had never been a very superstitious person, but still…  
  
She had a bad feeling about that moon.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Vincent glared into the dark, dusty rooms as various colorful phrases floated through his mind. The events of the previous few days had left him in a somewhat dark mood, and for some reason his feelings seemed incredibly strong this night. He assumed it was due to the nature of his current mission, the search of Cyrus's lab.  
  
The complex was even larger and more confusing than even Vincent had guessed, and he had been very lucky indeed to have found the room where Yuffie had been held again. He and Cloud had spent careful hours combing through that particular chamber. It had served little purpose, however, other than Vincent's discovery of a few 'scientific' tools that made even his blood run cold.  
  
A ringing from somewhere in the folds of his cloak startled him as he walked through the many identical corridors. {The PHS… Who…?} He retrieved the phone and wondered absently when the last time it had rung had been. {Hm, not since Yuffie's prank call in the crater…} He pressed the flashing button labeled 'T' and held the device to his ear.  
  
"Yes, Tifa?" he asked, resuming his walk through the halls.  
  
"Hi Vincent. Hey, I found something I think you should see. Are you near the entrance?"  
  
His face contorted in annoyance. {Even if I was near the beginning of this labyrinth, how would I know?} "Yes." After all, if he wasn't, he could get there.  
  
"Good!" Tifa's voice was relieved. "Anyway, when you get there, follow that reflective tape I left on the walls. I'll wait for you out in the hall." Her voice grew distant, as if she were yelling away from the phone. "Hey! Cloud!" There was a small beep and the line went dead.  
  
He replaced the phone in its customary place amidst his possessions and began his trek to the reflective tape. Tifa was an intelligent woman to have thought ahead for this event. He himself left small slashes on every door of the rooms he'd visited with his claw. It was by following these gashes that he was able to quickly return to the hall where Tifa's tape began. He didn't have to walk very long from there at his brisk pace before he saw Tifa waiting in the hall.  
  
"What happened to Cloud?" He inquired, seeing no sign of the spiky haired swordsman.  
  
"Huh? Oh! He said he needed to do something. Follow me," She turned to enter the room behind her.  
  
The room was large and lavishly decorated. A large bed furnished in dark, silky materials was resting near the wall to his left. Standing adjacent to this was a large, ornately carved vanity with a mirror larger than he thought was strictly necessary. This was flanked by two large bookcases filled with old a new volumes alike. He eyed the tomes and ran a finger over their spines.  
  
"Those are mostly romance novels," Tifa informed him. She sat at the vanity's bench and picked up a stack of papers that had been resting on the surface. "I found these behind one of the bookcases."  
  
"What are they?" Vincent asked, seating himself on the bed across from her. The bed was extremely soft, almost beckoning him to lay down and rest. He had a suspicion he knew who's room this had been.  
  
"Well, these seem to be… copies, I think, of a few of Cyrus's experiment records." She seemed increasingly uncomfortable.  
  
He stared at the papers and nodded slightly. "Well? Either tell me what you've found or hand me the documents."  
  
The busty woman seemed reluctant to speak. "Well… This one says 'I.D.: A.V., test subject: Adriana Valintine, age: seventeen.' It goes on to list more of her personal information, then says 'Combined subjects: Succubus, JENOVA cells, human. Restraining measures taken. Reason: Saw too much, interference. Leading scientist: Cyrus Torri.' " She paused. "Then it keeps track of her progress. It-it is the same woman as the kidnapper, right? I feel sorry for her…"  
  
Vincent nodded. "I knew her before her alteration. She did not deserve that." There were a few moments of silence before he spoke again. "What of the other papers?"  
  
"Well, the next one is the longest and most recently updated. It says: 'I.D.: VIC, test subject: Special. Combined subjects: Ice spirit, banshee, JENOVA cells…" She trailed off, unable to finish.  
  
Annoyed, he leaned forward and snatched the papers from her hands before scanning the page. His eyes widened in shock as he stared at the information in his hand.  
  
/Combined subjects: Ice spirit, banshee, JENOVA cells, Sephiroth DNA, Vincent Valentine DNA./  
  
"A clone…" he trailed off, unable to continue. {No wonder he looked so similar to myself and Lucrecia's son. Cyrus took samples of my DNA and that of the newborn Sephiroth…} Vincent felt somewhat ill, but continued to read bit more. The child Vic was grown in a lab, and was apparently raised as an almost normal child until his powers manifested. He threw the documents to the ground in disgust and stood to leave.  
  
"Vincent?" Tifa asked softly.  
  
"I am not feeling well. I am going to get some fresh air and clear my mind." He stalked from the room and followed the reflective tape to the entrance of the building and stepped out into the cold night.  
  
The full moon shown down upon him and he stared up into it, willing his jumbled mass of thoughts to calm and collect themselves. The moon was an odd, almost crimson color and hung so low in the velvety darkness of the sky that he felt he might be able to grasp it if he tried. He felt his thoughts slipping away into the recesses of his mind as it seemed to clear in his examination of this eldritch orb. He found himself stranded in the midst of a red haze that seemed to wrap around his mind and left him feeling strangely… different…  
  
*Vincent?* a deep voice rumbled questioningly in the recesses of his mind. He ignored it. He felt a sharp pain in his mouth, but it was drowned out in the force of something more powerful. His senses were alight. He could feel the wind rushing past his face more vividly than he ever remembered, and the colors seemed so much richer… He breathed in deeply and he was assaulted by a myriad of scents he'd never noticed before.  
  
He heard something behind him as he relished his newfound senses. Soft footfalls, boots, crunching the snow. The scent of jasmine and woman flowing through the breeze. He turned and smirked slightly at the human before him. He knew her, passingly, but could not place her name. It mattered not.  
  
"Vincent?" She asked, tentatively stepping towards him, her long dark hair whipping back in the wind. "What's wrong with you? Your eyes…" She stopped, gaping.  
  
His smirk turned to a grin and he beckoned to her. "Come here, woman," he enticed, his voice smooth and silky.  
  
She took a few steps but stopped, her eyes moving to his exposed teeth. "Oh my god… Vin-CLOUD!" She screamed, but was unable to run. She could only stare at him as he concentrated on her burgundy eyes.  
  
"Stop your screaming, woman," he hissed, his voice turning venomous. "I'm not going to hurt you." He watched as the panic faded, and her eyes started to glaze. "Now, come."  
  
She walked slowly towards him, coming to a stop when she was within an inch of him. He drew her near and inhaled her scent before lowering his head to her neck.  
  
*VINCENT! SNAP OUT OF IT! VINCENT!*  
  
He growled lightly. "You will not stop me, demon." He drew in another breath of jasmine from her as he rested his lips on her skin. This woman was soft, though he briefly reflected that he'd felt softer. {But who…} Her pulse was slow, a side effect from his control on her mind, and he was a bit disappointed that she had not fought harder. She did not have the energy he craved. The memory of a lily scent invaded his mind, and he paused. {Where have I known such a scent…?}  
  
In his wavering resolve, his spell on the woman was weakened to a point where she began to struggle. "Cl-CLOUD! HELP!" She tried to fight, but his inhuman strength was too much, even for as strong a fighter as she was.  
  
"I told you to shut up!" he tightened his grip, his claw piercing the flesh of her arm. The scent of her blood invaded his senses and there were no more lilies. His eyes glazed in his blood lust and he yanked her head back by her long hair and moved for her neck, fangs gleaming in the pale moonlight.  
  
~*~End Chapter~*~  
  
~Damn, that's an evil cliffhanger, even for me! Sorry there's still no Vinnie/Yuffie goodness, but… Absence make the heart grow fonder, ne? ^_^ In another note… *Holds her vase of newly acquired black roses and her Vinnie doll.* Thank you, Angel280, for unknowingly giving me my birthday present! ~  
  
~Kai 


	13. Chaos

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~Hi-hi! If you've noticed the difference, I've decided to try html format, since the '{}' was annoying. So, you guys tell me whether you like this format more or if I should go back to the old one. And Vincent's change just *happening* to be on my birthday was JUST a coincidence! I SWEAR! Oh, and in response to vincentV1212's question: My favorite character from the whole of the FF series was King Edgar of FFVI., although I also like Setzer. From VII, though, it's Yuffie. Disclaimer: Y'know, I tire of these…~

Ninja

~*~13~*~

Yuffie yawned, stretching as she rose from the old bed on which she had slept the night before. She'd remembered the ancient beds as having been musty the last time she'd used one, but these smelled fresh and almost new. _I guess Mizu must have washed them. She seems like the sort of woman who would keep things clean. Er, except for her study area… _

It was true. When Yuffie had returned the previous evening, she had been greeted with the sight of notes strewn so messily over the table that you could hardly see the surface under the sheets of paper. It appeared that the somewhat eccentric young Ancient was _not_ a very organized person. This, of course, immediately made her a companion in Yuffie's mind, since the young ninja was, if anything, _the _single most disorganized disaster to grace Wutai and perhaps the whole Planet. On the other side, Mizu had been thoughtful enough to clean these sheets. Yuffie would've said to hell with it and slept amongst the dust, condemning whatever guests she was expecting to the same fate.

So it was to the smell of fresh linen and bacon that the young ninja awoke this morning.

_Wait, bacon!?_

Yuffie sprang from the bed, her stomach demanding food and her mouth perfectly willing to comply. She jumped from the opening in the floor, not even glancing at the ladder, and tumbled as she hit the bottom so as not to sprain anything. She rolled into a sitting position and glanced around the room. "Where's the food? I'm hunnnngry!" She stomach growled in agreement.

"Oh! Yuffie! I'm so glad to see you awake," Mizu greeted, looking up at her from her cooking. The Ancient's fiery locks were held back in a poorly woven braid that she'd obviously tried to do herself the night before. "Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes."

"Cool. Hey, what's with the braid?" Yuffie asked curiously, standing up and poking at it a bit.

"Oh this? It's to keep my hair from tangling while I sleep. I can't braid my own hair very well, however…" she trailed off and sighed as she flipped the strips of meat before her.

"I'll say! I mean, with a braid like _that, _you'd be better off not bothering!" Yuffie commented, popping a piece of meat from the pile of finished pieces into mouth.

"O-oh… you think so…?" Mizu's voice was a bit sad. "Perhaps you're right…"

"Do not listen to her hurtful ramblings, Mizu," Nanaki soothed as he padded gracefully into the shell home. "Yuffie is lacking in manners and tact, and you would be wise to disregard her opinions."

"Gawd, Red, you're _so_ nice!" Yuffie mumbled over her breakfast.

The Ancient's face seemed doubtful, from what Yuffie could tell past her gigantic glasses. "I see. Still, Miss Yuffie may have a point…"

Red XIII's reply was never known, as at that moment there was loud rumble above the house. The vibrations of the unknown object caused a vase to crash to the floor, and a sudden wind sent many of Mizu's papers whirling about the house, causing the Ancient to yelp and abandon her cooking to keep the rest of her research from scattering.

"What the hell is that!?" Yuffie yelled, reaching for her Conformer as she stood.

"I'm not sure!" Nanaki answered. Yuffie could barely hear him over the racket. "Perhaps we should investigate!" She nodded, and she and her companion made their way out the door.

The sky was darkened, and for a moment Yuffie couldn't quite tell why. But then she understood. The large, shiny metal, the great, furiously spinning propellers, the huge… blimp thingy…

"The Highwind!" She yelled. _What is it doing here? Did they find something? Hey, maybe they're bringing me a cool reward for my great work in discovering the secret base! Oh Yuffie, you **are **the greatest…!_ She continued to grin, her thoughts moving on to picture rare materia and eternal worship from her friends until she caught sight of said friends descending from the side of the airship. _Ooh… they don't look too happy…_

Their faces were grim, and Yuffie noticed the absence of a certain dark haired gunman. "Hi, guys!" Yuffie called, once they had landed. "How'd it go? Find anything? Hey, where's Vinnie?"

Cloud's face hardened, and Tifa, who was standing very close to the swordsman, clung to his arm, her face paling at the mention of the absent man's name. Cloud pointed up at Red XIII's platform, which was lowering from the side of the ship. Yuffie's concern was mounting. "Hey… What happened?"

"I'll tell you what *^#@ing happened!" Cid's voice boomed from the platform, his hair barely visible. It lowered a bit more, and Yuffie could make out Vincent's wild black hair and Shera's neat brown ponytail. "What (*&ing happened, was that this goddamned vamp tried to *&$!ing kill Tifa!"

Yuffie gasped, suddenly feeling sick. She stared hard at the silent man as the platform came to a stop at ground level. Vincent's hands were bound by some very thick looking metal cuffs that she'd only managed to glimpse behind his back when Shera tried to help him step off the platform. "W-whadaya mean? Vinnie wouldn't do that! Right Vinnie?" she stared into his dull red eyes.

Vincent met her gaze and held it, his eyes seeming to pierce through her. There seemed to be warring emotions swirling in the depths of his eyes, but Yuffie couldn't make them out. It was only for a moment that she saw these, however, before his gaze became blank and unreadable once more.

"Perhaps we should head inside," Shera interjected before her husband could reply for the unresponsive captive. "After all, we have much to discuss with Yuffie and Nanaki, right?"

Cid merely grunted and gave Vincent a shove towards the door, which the silent man responded to complacently. There was barely restrained anger in the pilot's eyes as he walked past Yuffie, who followed them back inside somewhat meekly. She was confused, scared, sad, and angry. But it was the anger that seemed closest to the surface as she viewed Cid's rough treatment of her friend. She remained silent, however, not wishing to start a fight until she was sure of what was happening.

Mizu's eyes widened, and as the noise of the airship and the wind it brought died away, she picked herself up from the table and rushed to greet them. "Oh! Miss Yuffie, are these friends of yours?" She asked, bending to pick up a few stray notes. "I am _so _sorry for the mess! Please, make yourselves at home! I'll go cook some more food right away, but feel free to help yourselves to whatever's already done!" And with that, the flustered woman rushed over to the fire to restart her cooking.

"Who's that?" Tifa asked from her spot by Cloud's arm. Her voice seemed a bit distant, but Yuffie could still detect her old inquisitiveness and cheer. _She's probably just in shock…_

"Her? Oh, that's Mizu. We met her by the pond yesterday. She's been translating those old books Vic threw at me." Yuffie scowled. "She seemed to be doing good, 'till that deathtrap flew by and scattered her notes to the seven hells. What the hell happened, anyways?"

Shera, seemingly the calmest and most collected of those present, took a seat and began to relate the story. "Well, from what I can gather, Cloud, Tifa, and Vincent were doing some searching of Cyrus's lab while Cid and myself were doing a parameter check. It seems Tifa found something and called Vincent and Cloud to see."

"I had found the body of this weird chocobo experiment, and I told Tiff that I wanted to check it out first, and to go ahead and show Vincent," Cloud explained, his guilt obvious. "If I had only…"

"That's enough, Cloud!" Tifa frowned. "It wasn't your fault!"

"She's right," Shera continued, cutting off the blond man's protest, "There was no way anyone could have suspected this to happen. Anyway, she shows Vincent, and he apparently didn't like what she'd found, so he went outside. Tifa, worried, went out to check on him. Then…"

Cid stood up. "This part, Shera an' me ^%#$in' saw! This &*^$er grabs her and tells her to shut up, then lowers his #&%in' head to her neck! She's all yelling for *&%in' Cloud and telling him to stop, so I figure Vincent here's gone weird and is molestin' her. I couldn't really believe it, though, seeing as it was _Vincent_, but… So I grab Shera's frying pan and throw it at him. Hit him right smack in the (&^%ing head!"

"I _told _you it was lucky…" Shera murmured.

"Certainly saved Tifa's ass." Cid agreed. "So then he turns around and _his eyes are (&%^ing glowing!_ I mean brighter than Red's )*&^ing tail! Like he's gonna transform! And his teeth! He had (*&%ing fangs! So I think 'Oh shit!' And he charges at me!"

"But then he stopped suddenly," Shera added thoughtfully, her voice a welcome relief to Cid's, who had been steadily gaining volume throughout his account of what happened, "and held his head in his hands as if in great pain. Then, it was as if he was going to transform. He _started _to, his body going though the changes into that Chaos demon… But then he stopped, and reverted back into human form. He also appeared to be arguing with himself… Then he passed out, and we restrained him with some cuffs we found in the lab before comforting Tifa and coming here."

"Yuffie…" Cloud's mako infused eyes bore into her, pleading, "You've been closer to Vincent than any of us these past few days. Tell us, was there anything odd about him? He hasn't spoken to us since it happened…"

Yuffie couldn't withhold what she knew under Cloud's desperate pleas, and so found herself trying to explain what she knew. She described the red mist that would sometimes fill her mind when she met Vincent's eyes, and the odd way he'd been acting, like when she'd woken up to feel his teeth nipping at her neck, and how bad he'd felt afterwards. "I think Hojo and Cyrus are responsible," she explained, "Cyrus said something about infusing him with vampires or something…"

Mizu's voice spoke up suddenly from the silence that filled the room after Yuffie's account of Vincent's behavior. "Miss Yuffie, during all the moments you said that Mister Vincent's gaze caused the red mist, was it at night?"

Yuffie frowned slightly. "Yes… I think so… Or really close to nighttime, anyway…"

The Ancient nodded. "I thought so! During my translations of _Isildous Vaspiris_, I came across a passage regarding the red moon, which as you all know was last night. The Ancient's called it the Bloodlust Moon, because all the monsters become so much more aggressive on these nights. According to the book, it is the time that the Night Lords, vampires, are the strongest. And, if Mister Vincent is just newly realizing his new powers as an adolescent vampire, then it's no wonder he lost control." She turned towards Tifa. "Tell me, Miss, did he bite you?"

"N-no… Cid saved me before he was able to," Tifa sighed, obviously relieved that Cid had such good aim with a frying pan.

"You're very lucky. In his state, he might not have been able to limit how much blood he drained." She set down a plate piled with meat before them. "Please, help yourselves. Now, I haven't been able to translate very much of the texts, but I'm sure that whoever gave them to Miss Yuffie included something about how to control your friend's strange state. From what I can tell, after his first full transformation, he will continue to be dangerous at night, though his powers seem suppressed during the day."

"Yuffie…" Vincent's quiet voice issuing through the room couldn't have done a better job of drawing attention to himself than if he'd fired a gunshot above their heads. Yuffie walked over to him, though he kept his head down.

"Yes, Vinnie?" she asked, curious to know why he'd asked for her.

"Yuffie… That meat smells nice. Would you be kind enough to feed me some? I seem a bit tied up at the moment." He asked. His voice was low, but loud enough for the whole room to hear.

Yuffie, and everyone save for Mizu, who was not acquainted with Vincent, felt their eyes grow wide at his request. Had Vincent Valentine, serious, independent, stotic and not one to eat very often just asked to be fed? And then joked about his captivity?

"Whoa, Vinnie…" Yuffie asked, placing a hand to his forehead, "Are you feeling alright? Did you finally snap?"

He raised his head to stare into her stormy gray eyes, and she could detect a smirk in his features. "Of course. How much can you expect a mere human's mind to take before he must recoil into his self and atone for the sin of endangering one of his friend's immortal souls? With as many problems as this human has faced, it is a wonder he continues to toil." His smirk grew wider. "Now, I myself find that this meat smells absolutely tantalizing and would like nothing more than to taste it, if you would be so kind."

She frowned at him. She had removed her hand some time during his speech and moved to retrieve a piece of meat from the plate. "You made absolutely NO sense, Vinnie," she told him, holding the end of the strip to his lips. "You mind explaining why you're talking so funny?"

"Of course," he murmured before taking half of the meat in one bite and devouring it voraciously. He then quickly moved to take the other half, extending his lips far enough so that he managed to catch Yuffie's fingers.

She let out a startled yelp, thinking that he was going to bite her and drain her blood through the hapless appendages. But he didn't, merely swirling his tongue around them in order to clean the last traces of grease from her and smirking at her reaction, even as Cid jerked him angrily back.

"What the )*&% do you think you're doin'!?" the pilot raged.

"Yuffie, are you alright?" Tifa asked fearfully.

Cloud moved to examine her finger as she shakily sought to regain her frayed nerves.

"What in Leviathan's name were you thinking!?" she raged at the smirking gunman. To her added horror and annoyance, he began to laugh. Not Vincent's usual chuckle, but a deep laugh that sounded very foreign to Yuffie's ears.

"You should have seen your faces!" he managed after swallowing the meat. "Honestly, did you think _I_ would bite her? But you…" he said, his eyes boring into Yuffie, "You were the most priceless. The way your face colored… It really is so easy for this body to invoke a reaction from you, isn't it? I don't know which tasted better, the meat or you!"

"Who the hell are you!?" Cloud demanded angrily and Yuffie continued to blush. "Vincent never acted like this!"

"Of course he didn't," the being in Vincent's likeness said, in a voice that implied that it should be obvious. "I've known the man much longer than you have, mortal. I think I _know_ how the moping wretch acted! _I_ am the demon Chaos."

"WHAT!?" Everyone gaped at the man, their eyes so large they barely seemed able to stay within their heads. Everyone, that is, save for Vincent and…

"I'm afraid I don't understand," Mizu interrupted apologetically. "Could someone please explain?"

"Yeah… I'm totally lost now, too…" Yuffie said, eyes whirling.

"You see, Mizu," Red XIII started to explain to the confused woman. "Vincent was an experiment long ago, and had JENOVA cells put into him, amongst other things. Sometimes during battle, he will transform into monsters, chief among these is a great demon called Chaos. No one is sure how or why, but we _do_ know that he's never remained transformed once the battle is completed, and that he's never been possessed while retaining his human form."

"So… Why are you in Mister Vincent's body now, Mister Chaos?" Mizu asked. "What is it that caused this strange occurrence?"

Chaos shrugged as he pulled himself up from where Cid had thrown him. "During Vincent's… insanity… I attempted to possess control over him and force him to stop. I knew if he went though with his attack on the Tifa woman, I would _never_ be able to deal with him. But he fought, and with his strength amplified by the Bloodlust Moon, something went awry. He would not transform, but he wanted to hide away from those who looked upon him as a friend, so I was still able to gain control." He glanced at Yuffie. "You know, another strip of meat would be delightful…"

"NO WAY!" she yelled, reflexively wiping her already dry hand on her shorts. "Look, Chaos, I don't know what your problem is, but I'd rather have Vinnie's god awful moping rather than your perverted ass!"

"Oh Yuffie, my dear, forgive me!" Chaos moaned dramatically. "It's just that it's been so long since I've been able to physically feel and taste other than in battle that I can't help myself!" He smirked at her, his eyes seeming to undress her in his lewd gaze. "And you're so cute! I'd love to feel you writhing beneath me, moaning loudly as I…"

"OH MY GAWD! HOW COULD YOU EVEN…! SHUT UP!" she screamed angrily, rearing back and slapping him perfectly in the face. Her cheeks were searing hot, and everyone else in the room sat in a sort of horrified and shocked silence as the nature of the new demon was made known. It was even more disturbing due to the fact that it was _Vincent's_ body, _Vincent's _voice that was saying these things that were so uncharacteristic of him.

"You know," Chaos continued, laughing slightly despite the large red handprint that adorned his cheek, "I'm sure Vincent wouldn't _mind_…"

"Oh, gross_ness_!" Yuffie mumbled, embarrassed. _The **real** problem is that I wouldn't mind either…Oh gawd, Yuffie, get a hold of your hormones! It isn't even Vincent! Just his body and a perverted demon!_

"In fact," he continued, as if she hadn't interrupted, "You're the only one I think he even considers talking to. You, who know more of his condition than any other of these mortals here, are probably the only one capable of bringing him back from whatever purgatory he has devised for himself. While I _personally_ don't mind this body and its advantages, I am not sure how long I will be allowed to remain in control before loosing my sanity or how long I will be able to tolerate the annoying humans whom I will be forced to interact with."

All eyes turned to Yuffie before Cloud eventually spoke up. "What do you all think? If we want to get the old Vincent back, we'll need your help, Yuffie."

"Yeah…" she gulped and stared into Chaos's eyes. "Tell me, is there anyway I can speak to Vinnie _now_?"

Chaos thought a moment before nodding slowly. "Yes… But we'd have to be alone. He doesn't want to deal with these others just yet."

She looked around at everyone. "Well guys? You heard him, we need some privacy here! Don't tell me it's a bad idea, either. You're the one's who said it's up to me, right?"

"Yes, but… Are you sure you'll be alright in here with… him?" Tifa asked, somewhat skeptical of the lecherous demon. He gave her an innocent look.

"To think that you would accuse me of being so single-minded! After all, I assume you will all be waiting just outside the building for even the slightest sign of anything wrong."

After agreeing that he was right and a few threats from Cid, Cloud, and Tifa if he should try anything with their young friend, they finally exited, leaving Yuffie alone with the demon.

"Now, all you need to do now is start stripping…"

**_WHAM!_** Yuffie's foot smashed soundly against the side of his head, knocking him down.

"…Ow…" he complained, moving his body back into sitting position. "It was a joke! Can't you take a joke!?"

"Quit joking and tell me how to contact Vinnie!" she demanded, her face burning.

"Alright, alright… That's some kick…" he sighed and caught her eyes with his again. "Now, just talk to him. Try to reach him, to connect with him. If he wants to, he'll kick me out of his body eventually."

She nodded and took a deep breath as she thought of what she wanted to say to the gothic gunslinger. "Vinnie…" she trailed off uncertainly before regaining her courage. "Vinnie! C'mon, Vinnie! It's me, Yuffie, your good friend and confidant! Come onnnnnnnn, Vinnie! Don't make me have to deal with this horrible demon! You wouldn't believe the perverted things he's been saying to me…"

The crimson eyes flickered, and a look of rage crossed his face. "Chaos…!" he growled lowly. She cut him off by flinging her arms around his neck.

"Vinnie! Is it really you!? I'm so so sososososo SOOO glad to have you back! It's really you, right?"

He stiffened, and his voice was startled and a bit amused. "As far as I am aware, it is me." His voice became mournful. "But why would you be glad? After what I have done…"

"Vinnie," she said sternly, "YOU are not responsible for what happened. This is all Cyrus and Hojo's fault, and I intend to kick some major scientist ASS if I ever see that blond bastard again! Besides," her voice became softer, "Tifa's okay, and I'm sure they'll all forgive you. So, whatever you do, _don't_ revert back to that letch Chaos!"

He chuckled a moment before wincing. "Yuffie…"

"Yes, Vinnie?" she asked, happy that he seemed to be slightly better.

"Why does my head hurt so much?"

And Yuffie couldn't bring herself to answer, her cheeks coloring at the remembrance of what Chaos had said to cause her to react so violently towards the poor, unknowing ex-Turk.

~*~End Chapter~*~

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~An end to another chapter. And not a cliffhanger! YAY! Well, at least not a bad one like the last chapter's… Hope y'all enjoyed it! Until the next update! Oh, and don't forget to tell me which format you like better, 'cause that'll be the one I use.~

~Kai


	14. Chocobos and Rain

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~Hi-hi! Due to a very pronounced majority, my format will hereafter be html. Besides, I like it too! And I'm glad my version of Chaos seems to be a hit. I mean, doesn't everyone need a demon to give them horrible, perverted ideas? ^_^ Disclaimer: Kai not own game. Kai not make money. You not sue Kai. Please.~

****

Ninja

~*~14~*~

"What do you mean we can't undo his cuffs!?" Yuffie raged, her stormy eyes flashing angrily at the blond swordsman before her. "Didja lose the key or something? We can't keep him like this forever!"

"Calm down, Yuffie!" Cloud pleaded, trying to placate the enraged girl. "It's for the safety of the group. We can't risk another attack."

"But he's better now!" she whined, her eyes widening in an overly cute plea for Cloud to give in and grant her request for Vincent's release. So far, she'd only managed to persuade them to move his hands from behind his back to chained in front of him, so that he could feed himself. She wasn't sure why she was overly concerned about his welfare; it wasn't, after all, her problem. But Vincent had been kind to her these past few days, in his own fashion, and Yuffie felt she owed him something at least. Besides, how many people got to eat Vincent's surprisingly good cooking? There was also her little grudge against Cyrus and Vic…

"I said no, Yuffie." Cloud stated with an air of absolute finality. His expression softened at her downcast face. "C'mon, Yuffs. Let's go back inside and discuss our next course of action. We'll figure something out."

Yuffie sighed and allowed him to place a strong arm around her shoulders affectionately and lead her away. _No use trying to talk him out of it, I guess… Hm…_

Yuffie's mind was so focused on the thought that had sprung to her mind that she paid very little attention at the meeting. She did catch enough to make out, basically, that they were going to send a group to Nibelheim to check the books there again. They'd also phoned Reeve at Neo Midgar and asked the new president to have his Turks look into any information regarding Vincent, Hojo, Cyrus, or vampires. The brains behind Cait Sith had sounded pretty confused about _that_ particular subject, but wasted little time before setting about his task. Yuffie, it was decided, would stay here with Mizu and Cloud to look after Vincent.

"Hey," she spoke up, just as the group was about to disperse. All eyes turned to her, as she had been uncharacteristically silent throughout the whole discussion. "Could you guys leave Rikku here? And maybe Cecil? I kinda want to take Mizu on a chocobo ride. You know, to show her what a great job I did in breeding the legendary gold chocobos!" She grinned proudly and puffed her chest out a bit. She truly _was_ proud of this fact. _C'mon… please buy it…!_

Both Vincent and Cloud were staring at her skeptically. Before their esteemed leader could comment, however, he was interrupted by an excited outburst from Mizu.

"Oh! A real, live golden chocobo!? Oh please," she begged, turning her pleading emerald eyes to Cloud, "Oh _please_ let me ride one! I-I didn't think they really existed…" She trailed off and clasped her hands under her chin for an added effect. "Please, Mister Cloud?"

Yuffie couldn't suppress the grin that came to her face as she watched the swordsman melt under the crimson haired Ancient's pleas. It was certainly a good thing Mizu wanted to ride the chocobos; Yuffie's plan depended on there being at least two. _And if Cloud suspected…_ her grin widened as an ecstatic Mizu thanked the spiky haired man for agreeing _He doesn't now. And since Vinnie ain''t talking…_

"Alright, Yuffie. Go get Cecil and Rikku." He turned back to the group that was soon to board the Highwind. "Alright, when you get there…" His words grew faint as she dashed to the airship's current landing zone.

It was a fairly long trip to the Highwind, but Yuffie noticed that the trip back took little more than a few minutes. She loved the feeling of riding chocoboback, and Rikku had been cooped up so long that it was all poor Cecil could do to keep up with his energetic sister.

"Whoa, Rikki!" Yuffie called out as they approached the ancient shell house. Rikku let out mischievous wark and glanced back at the girl. _Uh oh… I recognize **that **look…_Yuffie cringed as her mount continued to gain speed. "NO RIKKU! JUST STO-ooooop!!! Omph!" The giant bird had jerked to the side suddenly, and not even Yuffie's desperate attempt to keep her hold saved her from being flung into nearby brush. She jumped up, to angry for the pain to register and began to chase after the rogue chocobo, a haste spell allowing her some semblance of a chance of tackling it. Even with the extra speed boost, however, she was no match for a golden chocobo and her spell eventually wore off.

"You (*&%ing fowl! Yeah I'd BETTER NOT %*&(ING CATCH YOU! NO MORE SYLKIS GREENS FOR A GODDAMN _WEEK_!" She yelled angrily as she fell to the ground in exhaustion. She lay there for a few moments, wheezing and coughing, before the something blocked the sun and cast a shadow over her face. She gazed up and was met with the largest glasses she'd ever seen.

"Hey… Mizu…" she managed between breaths. The studious Cetra kneeled next to her.

"Are you alright Miss Yuffie?" her gentle voice was tinged with worry.

"Yeah… a few scrapes… I'm fine…" Yuffie sat up, but continued to lean back, supporting herself with her arms.

"What made the chocobo act like that?" Mizu inquired, blocking the sun from her face with a small hand and peering towards the grazing Rikku.

"Oh, she does that… whenever I leave… her alone too long. Plus she hates that airship as much as I do." She let out a sigh, her breath finally restoring. "I should've used Cecil. He's a lot more forgiving than his no good sister." She stood up and dusted herself off before motioning the other chocobo towards them.

Cecil trotted forwards, his expression mildly curious about the new human. He was bigger than Rikku, and when he puffed out his great golden feathers he was perhaps the most splendid and impressive chocobo Yuffie had ever seen. However, Cecil rarely felt the need to show off and he carried himself almost humbly. Yuffie motioned for Mizu to come closer.

"Mizu, this's Cecil. He's Cloud's chocobo," she noticed Mizu's hesitance and smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, Cecil's one of the sweetest chocobos around. He's not like _Rikku_ over there." She cast her own mount a venomous glare and was rewarded with her innocent expression.

Mizu giggled and came up to the patiently waiting Cecil, hold out her hand to run her hand over his feathers. "A real golden chocobo…" she breathed, wonder written all over her face.

"And _that_," she pointed towards the bird that had so recently aggravated her, "is Rikku. She's mine. She's not all that bad, but she's _really _energetic."

Rikku puffed out her plumage for display as she warked proudly. She may have been smaller than Cecil, but she acted much tougher. Yuffie always found it amusing when she would run to her big brother whenever something particularly offended her.

"Anyways, where's Cloud?" Yuffie asked. "He inside?"

It took a moment for Mizu to register her voice, so entranced she was by the golden bird before her. "Hm? Oh no, no… Mister Cloud went out hunting, I believe… Mister Vincent should be inside, though…"

"Perfect. Thanks Mizu! I'm gonna go on in. Why don't you stay out here and get to know Cecil more?" _Though I suspect you will whether I suggest it or not…_

"Alright…" Mizu half-waved to Yuffie before turning her full attention back to the chocobo. Yuffie grinned and shook her head before heading into the house.

_Let's see, here…_She began moving about the building, searching for the objects she would soon need. _Hm… Vinnie must be upstairs. That's good. Aha!_ She grinned triumphantly upon discovering a dull, black leather bag filled with various items. _This's Vinnie's pack. Hm… _She noted where it was kept and set about her next task. _Now, what else… Ah yes. _She carefully gathered the notes strewn about Mizu's desk and stacked them neatly on top of the books. _If anyone asks, _she thought, tying the documents together with the silver cord _I'll say it's 'cause of the wind._ Which made sense, since it was turning into a very windy day. _I hope it doesn't rain… That's the **last** thing I need tonight…_

Her preparations for her plan completed, she had but to bide her time and wait. _I really hate doing this to Cloud, but I can't let him keep Vinnie in those cuffs. I only hope I can pick the locks… _Cloud kept the keys someplace that Yuffie had not been able to find, despite her attempts. _Oh well. I'll burn that bridge when I reach it. Right now, I'm gonna go rest up._ She made her way swiftly up the ladder and to the beds. Wasting no time, she crossed the wooden floor and plopped squarely down on one of the old mattresses.

_Wow, it's lumpier than I remembered…_ She puzzled at this and shifted, trying to soften the various hard spots. "What the hell's wrong with this bed?" She shrieked as she felt it move, wrapping itself around one side of her and pining her to the wall. "AHHH! It's a mattress monster!" She struggled against it vainly. "I shoulda listened to the crazy old man!"

She was stopped by the feel of warm breath caressing her ear. "Calm down, Yuffie," the rich, familiar monologue buzzed through her head. "It is only me."

She stopped squirming. "Vinnie?" She felt him nod and let out a sigh of relief. "Whew. Don't scare me like that! What the hell were you doing?"

He sat back away from her, allowing her to pry her face away from its rather intimate connection to the wall. She turned to glare at him as he sat there, his expression mildly annoyed and amused. "I was resting."

"With the covers over your head? You didn't even look like you were there!"

"Perhaps you should pay more attention to your surroundings before you act. Had you done more than merely glance, you would have noticed me." He stared at her, a hint of a smile on his lips. "Tell me… What was this about a 'mattress monster'?"

Yuffie blushed, embarrassed that she'd let an old childhood tale get to her. "Well, when I was little my old man would always tell me these stories about a mattress monster that would infest my futon and would one day wrap around me as I lay to sleep and _eat my brains!_" she paused for a breath. "Of course, I never really believed him…"

"Of course."

"I _didn't!_" she insisted. When he did no more than nod she pouted and hopped off the bed. "Well, seeing as this one's taken, I suppose I should go find another bed." She crossed the space to an adjacent resting place and gave it a thorough inspection before flopping down and stretching out and sighing happily. "Be sure to wake me up when dinner's ready, 'kay? Don't let them eat without me." She took his silence as an 'okay' and closed her eyes as she drifted off to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cool hands pressing into her shoulder and her name being repeated in a familiar monologue brought Yuffie back into the world of the waking. Her eyes fluttered open to lock onto those of Vincent's, and she noted that they almost seemed to glow in the dim light of the room. She sat up and stretched, working the stiffness from her limbs and tossed a quick glance at the window.

The sun was setting, it's dim golden light bathing the abandoned city and casting shadows over the land. Despite the sun, dark clouds lined the sky and threatened rain and maybe even a thunderstorm. _Just great…_ She thought bitterly, before the smell of warm meat wafted up and into her nose. Her stomach growled, reminding her that she needed nourishment for what she was going to do.

"C'mon, Vinnie," she said, standing from the bed and heading for the stairs. "Let's go get some food!" She grinned and half-dragged the gunman with her. Once she had descended, she was greeted with the sight of Mizu setting four steaming plates of food at the table.

"Oh, Miss Yuffie!" the busy woman exclaimed once she noticed the groggy ninja. "Thank you so much for securing my notes. The wind was absolutely awful earlier!" she smiled and gestured for the two to have a seat. Yuffie sat in the chair to Cloud's left and waved at him.

"Hiya. How'd your little hunting session go?"

"Well, it was successful," he responded, gesturing at the food in front of them. 

"Eh, you just got lucky!" she grinned, taking a bite of her food. Mizu's cooking was pretty good too.

The rest of the meal was spent with her joking good-naturedly with Cloud. Mizu supplied comments and an occasional joke as well. Yuffie was glad to see that she was being slightly less formal with them. Vincent was typically silent, though Yuffie noticed that even he seemed to enjoy the relaxed feel of the meal.

When dinner was over, Yuffie stayed down and offered to help Mizu clean up. Cloud, tired from his active day and the filling meal, retired quickly, offering his goodnights to the others. Once she was sure that he wasn't going to come back down for anything, she set about packing traveling food into a bag. After a few moments of this activity, Mizu's soft voice interrupted her.

"Miss Yuffie? What are you doing?"

Yuffie looked up at the older girl's face, unable to see her eyes through the thick glasses but able to detect her puzzlement and curiosity. "I'm packing up for a long chocobo ride. You going?"

Mizu seemed quite taken aback. "R-right now? B-but what about Mister Cloud and Mister Vincent? It's so very dark, a-and I believe it's going to rain soon…"

"Yeah. Damn rain," Yuffie mumbled, picking up the bundle of books and notes and placing them in a waterproof sack. Mizu's distress increased, and Yuffie could tell that she desperately wanted to continue the translations but still didn't want to leave. Yuffie's plan depended on Mizu's cooperation. And Vincent's. "Hey Vinnie, you up for a chocobo ride?"

He studied her quietly. She could tell that he'd suspected her intentions since she'd first asked for the golden chocobos. "C'mon, Vinnie. Don't you _want_ to take a more active roll in solving your problem? Or at least carve some payback out of that bastard?" She saw his emotions conflict with themselves on his face briefly before he sighed in defeat.

"Damn it… Yes. Gather my things. We should leave as quickly as possible to try and avoid the rain as much as we can." He stood and approached Yuffie, holding his hands out to her so she could try her hand at the locks of the cuffs. "You realize that Cloud will be most displeased." He warned her as she used her special picks to try and manipulate the device that kept him bound.

"Yeah… I've done worse." she reminded him, trying to mask the guilt she was feeling. _After all… we were all laughing together in here just a while ago… And I **like** Cloud…_

"While the materia incident was indeed a grave offense, I believe that assisting the escape of one such as me is far worse. Especially when I have sinned so greatly as to attempt to harm the one Cloud cares for above all others."

The lock finally gave a loud click and the cuff on his left wrist fell open. As she started on the left lock, she noticed Mizu nervously packing a bag full of items. "Miss Yuffie… I-I think we should at l-least leave a note. I-it's only proper…" her stutter had increased with nervousness and guilt for abandoning Cloud, whom Mizu had come to like.

"Yeah, you're right. Would you do it? I'm busy," she glared at the lock as she attempted to pry it apart. "Stupid, stubborn lock… _Open_, damn it!" Despite her efforts, however, the cuff remained steadfastly closed. "Argh… Vinnie, you're gonna have to deal with this thing for awhile. Hey, you got a new bracelet!" she joked, placing the useless pick back into her sock.

"While the dangling half-shackle look may match my overall appearance, I prefer fewer accessories."

"It's amazing that those cuffs fit over that claw of yours, though. It almost seems like they were designed for you…"

"They likely were."

"Creepy," Yuffie muttered, letting the subject drop. She handed Vincent his bag and grabbed her own things after pulling on her crimson coat. "You ready Mizu?" The Ancient nodded, a large, water-repellant dark green cloak on over her dress. She placed a note on the table along with an arrangement of various cold foods for Cloud's breakfast. "If it isn't too much to ask, where might we be headed?"

Yuffie paused. If there was one flaw with her plan, then Mizu had found it. "Er… Uh, where do you think, Vinnie?"

Vincent's eyes glazed slightly and he seemed lost in thought. He finally closed his eyes in concentration before he spoke. "Corel. Let us head to Corel."

"Huh? Why Corel? What in the world's in that junk heap?" Yuffie was incredibly confused.

"You asked me where I thought we should go and I told you. Unless you have a better suggestion?" he asked. His tone was impatient, and Yuffie gulped.

"Nnnnope! Corel it is!" she turned to the door. "Onwards!"

The wind outside was fierce, and the scent of impending rain was heavy in the air. Rikku and Cecil were waiting nearby, and Rikku warked questioningly at Yuffie. "We're going on a trip, Rikki. Vinnie here's riding with me, so don't try anything funny." she warned. Rikku puffed her feathers out indignantly, but her demeanor told Yuffie that she would behave.

"Since this one is the largest, then why are you and Mister Vincent both riding Rikku?" Mizu asked from her spot on Cecil.

Yuffie swung up onto Rikku and waited as Vincent situated himself behind her, his hands resting lightly on her sides. Yuffie suppressed the instinctive shiver that flowed through her at his nearness. "Because," she explained as she started Rikku walking towards the direction of Corel, "Rikku is faster than Cecil and likes to prove it. With two people, she'll get too tired if she goes too fast and we can stick together."

"I see," Mizu replied as she and Cecil began their pursuit of the smaller chocobo.

Yuffie started them out at a fairly fast pace, wanting to stay ahead of the rain as long as she could. They hadn't been traveling long when she felt Vincent lean forward, pressing his lean body against hers and bringing his mouth up near her ear so she could hear him over the wind.

"If you push the chocobos this hard they will tire too quickly. We do not need them giving out while we are attempting to cross the ocean."

"Huh?" she wondered before his words registered. Her face colored as she tried to ignore the feel of his warm chest against her back and his hands gripping her sides. Actually, his claw was gripping just a bit _too_ tightly for her comfort. "Oh, okay!" she called back, slowing Rikku's pace to a steady trot. "Hey Vinnie, mind easing up a bit with that claw?"

"Forgive me," he mumbled, barely audible over the howling of the wind, and eased his grip on her.

"No problem," she assured him, and let out a slightly disappointed sigh when he leaned back away from her. She didn't have time to dwell on it long before a more pressing issue manifested itself. A cold drop of liquid landed on her nose. "Damn it…" she grumbled as she felt more drops pelt her head. _Just what we needed. I knew it was gonna rain, but still… Why can't you ever make it **not** rain when I'm on a chocobo trip, oh great Leviathan? Is it too much to ask for a dry travel?_ The rain increased as if in answer to her question and she pouted. _Smart assed god…_

****

~*~End Chapter~*~

__

~Heh, don't you hate gods with a sense of humor like that? What reason could Vinnie possibly have to visit Corel? And just how pissed do you think Cloud's going to be when he finds out about this little stunt? These answers and more (maybe) to be answered!~

~Kai


	15. Hail and a Cave

__

~Hi-hi! I'm back again, ya know? Sorry I've been so long, but as those of you who had to deal with me during Thanksgiving remember; I'm never home for the holidays. And I had new games to play. They **called** to me. Beckoned. I had to answer. I finally died one too many times in **Okage** and decided to give it a break (Stupid Evil Phantom King… he isn't even very **good**, once he's in your party…I've met gnats with more bite than him…). I've also heard many of you demanding a kick up in the romance sector. Our officials are working on it, but you really shouldn't rush these things. Its like fine wine, takes forever to make, savored slowly, teasing…~

Ninja

~*~15~*~

When it rains, it pours. And for Yuffie Kisaragi, it hailed as well. She held up an arm in a futile attempt to deflect the chunks of ice that hurled down on her from the heavens. She wasn't sure which hurt worse: the initial pain of frozen liquid stinging her face or the fact that her face was now numb, possibly with icicles forming in her nostrils. _This far north… I should'a **known **this would happen! Gotta find shelter, gotta find shelter… Where the &^$# is my arm guard!? Oh yeah, won't fit over the coat…_Yuffie had to admit, the coat was doing its job wonderfully, but even it wouldn't save her once the ice chunks started getting bigger. And Yuffie was _very _certain they would be getting bigger. And soon.

Vincent leaned forward suddenly, his finger pointed outward towards one of the various islands. She thought she heard him yell something, but it was almost impossible for her to decipher his words over the noise of the wind and hail. But she was pretty sure she understood what he meant. As she strained to see through the darkness and rain, she was barely able to make out what appeared to be a small hole in the cliffs. She turned backwards to Mizu and signaled for the other girl to follow before urging Rikku onward.

Yuffie instinctively raised her legs higher as Rikku plunged into the icy waters of the ocean, but even that wasn't enough to prevent herself from getting drenched by the splashing. One reason anyone with a golden chocobo preferred to go by ship was simply because over water travel via chocoboback was Not Pleasant. Especially up north. In the right circumstances, it was rather fun in the tropical, blue-green waters of Wutai under the clear, warm sun… _But this isn't Tropical Wutai. This's goddamn Freezing DEATH, that's what it is! _Yuffie sneezed. Had she been Cid, she might have cursed simultaneously, but so far only he had mastered that technique.

As they neared the island, Yuffie could make out the cave much more clearly. _Jeez, Vinnie's got to have some pretty kickass night-vision to have spotted this place._ Of course, Yuffie reflected that it may have had something to do with his 'condition', but she pushed the thought aside quickly. The less she had to dwell on it, the better she felt.

When Rikku set her first talon upon the sands of the beach, Yuffie jumped off her back and made a beeline for the cave. "Oh thank _gawd_…" she sighed, the lack of hail beating mercilessly against her enough to send her into nigh euphoric bliss. She glanced around and made careful note of the available space. The entrance was roomy, and a discarded tackle box and fishing line suggested that, at one point or other, this had been a shelter for fishermen for such occasions as this. She poked her head out of the cave and waved for Vincent and Mizu to bring the chocobos inside with them.

"Oh thank _goodness_!" Mizu panted, slumping to the ground once she was out of the torrent of ice and water. "Do you suppose there's any chance of lighting a fire?" he asked, her voice hopeful.

"I doubt it. We've no firewood." Vincent replied from where he was seeing to the chocobos.

"Don't be so sure, Vinnie," Yuffie replied, smiling to reassure poor Mizu, who was still unused to dealing with Vincent. "If I'm right, this used to be a fishermen's cave."

"If you are wrong, however, then there is no reason to get the woman's hopes up, Yuffie," Vincent retorted, turning to cast his eyes on her. Yuffie stifled a gasp and stared. Vincent's eyes were like dim embers in the darkness of the cave, and Yuffie wondered if they were always going to do this now. Still, glowy eyes or not, she wasn't going to stand there and take that tone from him. She shifted her gaze to his shoulder.

"Them's fightin' words, mister," Yuffie growled, half in jest, half in irritation. "I'll go and -prove- that there's flammable stuff in this place, and then you can take your high-and-mighty attitude and-"

"_Miss_ Yuffie!" Mizu protested. Her tone reminded Yuffie partly of Chekov: the reprimanding, school teacher tone and partly of a child: shocked and nervous lest they get caught. 

"Er, right. Sorry Mizu," Yuffie apologized. "Got carried away. Anyways, it's off to prove El Count de Goth totally and completely wrong!" She breezed past him towards Rikku and rummaged about a bit in her pack. The pack had been specially designed just for over water travel, and thus the contents had been unaffected by the rain and ocean that had so effectively drenched everything else. _Lessee here… Paper…books…smoke bombs…Aha!_ Her fingers closed around the slim, waxy figure of a candle. "Gotcha!" She cheered before she proceeded to squeeze her eyes closed and stick her tongue out at him maturely before turning on her heel and commencing her search.

It didn't take long for her to utilize her Fire materia to produce a small flame to light her candle. She spent a moment warming her fingers before looking around. In what she had named the Main Cavern, the place they currently occupied, she found nothing aside from the tackle box, the fishing line, some dried grasses and the remains of a makeshift fireplace. There was nothing but ash left within it, though, and there wasn't enough dried grass to make more than kindling, which was useless without wood for it to kindle. Upon closer inspection of the walls, however, she found a small passage. It was just tall enough for her, and she wasted no time in following it to wherever mysterious location it lead. She was cold, and her clothes clung to her skin. The coat had not stopped the ocean's waters from soaking her inside out, and she really hoped that, wherever this passage led, it was to firewood. She sneezed, and nearly walked into a wooden door.

She stared. Leviathan must have pitied her at last! _Even if I don't find anything else, there's enough wood on this door to dry off with, at least._ She reached out and gave the door an experimental tug. It opened a crack and stopped, and Yuffie pulled harder, eyeing the wooden portal to see what the problem was. She spotted it. The hinges were so badly rusted from the sea air that they no longer functioned properly. _Well, I'll just have to MAKE them work, won't I?_ She grinned evilly before grabbing the handle with both hands and throwing herself backwards with all the force her small frame could muster.

There was a loud creaking accompanied by a sudden, sharp pop, and Yuffie flew backwards. She groaned, and rubbed her sore butt to try and relieve the pain as she assessed the situation. The handle in her hand had obviously broken off, which certainly explained why there seemed to be a pebble lodged halfway into her ass. As well as that, the wood around the hinges had splintered and the door now hung brokenly by the few strips of wood still attached. She grimaced as she stood up, hearing footsteps in the corridor behind her.

Mizu's crimson hair was the first thing Yuffie noticed as the woman entered the light of her candle. The second thing she noticed was that Mizu appeared very dry. Yuffie's thoughts strayed back to the waterproof cape and the fact that Cecil, being so large of a chocobo, offered more dry room that Rikku did on the ocean. This in turn reminded Yuffie that she herself was still very wet and very cold. She grumbled and greeted the other woman.

"Miss Yuffie, are you alright?" Mizu inquired worriedly. "What in the world happened?" 

"The door was stuck," Yuffie informed her as she walked to the shattered remains. She kicked at them angrily before heading past them. Before she could get very far, however, she was stopped by the sound of a slightly bemused voice behind her.

"What happened?"

She turned to face Vincent as he stood inspecting her handiwork on the door. "I opened it," she told him tersely, still miffed at his earlier attitude.

"Yuffie…" he inclined his head towards her slightly. "You do realize that this door swung _inwards_, not outwards, correct?"

"Er…" Yuffie coughed slightly. "Actually… It didn't occur to me…" She giggled nervously. "Eheh… No wonder it was so hard to open…"

Vincent merely sighed before indicating that she should continue her explorations of the cave. His ebony hair was plastered to his head, and his clothes were dripping slightly, yet he seemed unaffected by the chill of the cave and Yuffie wondered if she were the only one ill-affected by this situation. In fact, Mizu seemed almost comfortable. Yuffie found herself greatly annoyed at this revelation and stalked off down the hall, aware of the clinking of Vincent's boots behind her.

A musty straw mat secured clumsily to an outcropping of rock caught her attention and she stopped to examine it. As she lifted the side, she noted that the mat was meant to cover an opening, and she deftly slipped inside to bathe the new area in the light of her candle.

_Perfect!_ She cheered, a grin lighting her face as she stared around the room. For a room it was, complete with a bed (not more than an old mattress that looked very worn) and a few tattered looking blankets. But what brought the smile to her face was the fireplace, filled with wood that looked perfectly dry, if a bit dusty. She wasted no time in crossing the room and immediately holding her candle to the waiting wood and sighing happily as it caught fire and blazed forth, bringing sweet warmth to her hands.

"Oh my!" Mizu's soft voice sounded behind her, filled with wonder. "How in the world did this get here?" She was examining the room and staring at a wall of old wood blocks stacked precariously atop one another.

"I think I know," Yuffie said, grabbing an object off the floor. It was an old, empty bottle of what she assumed had once been beer. "This was probably a hang out for some adolescent punks. Y'know, like a secret clubhouse. I had one back in Wutai on an island in the middle of a lake. We'd hang out and play pirates. We'd take old stuff, like this mattress, and furnish our 'lair'." 

"I see," Mizu nodded in understanding. She suddenly turned and moved to pick up something shiny laying near the corner of the room before sitting by Yuffie next to the fire. It was a magazine, and Yuffie watched as she flipped through it before her face turned an interesting shade of red and quickly closed the paper, dropping it as if burned.

"What's wrong, Mizu?" she asked, grabbing the offending book and perusing it.

"Oh no, Miss Yuffie-"

Yuffie's eyes widened at the contents as she blushed, but she suddenly snickered as an idea struck her. "Hey Vinnie!" She called over to the man who had been silently inspecting the room. He turned to face her, not looking the least interested. She grinned. "Ever heard of 'Pruning the Hibiscus?"

She watched as Vincent's face contorted in a humorous display of what she assumed was embarrassment before he strode towards her and snatched the magazine from her hands. He took one look at the contents and his eyes widened and Yuffie swore she saw his cheeks color before he rather abruptly dropped the offending material into the fire. "No," he replied evenly.

Yuffie couldn't stop the grin on her face from widening at his reaction. "Really? Y'know, 'cause I thought you seemed to recognize it before you even _saw_ the… uh… _interesting_ visual…" Her eyebrows waggled suggestively at him. _Heh, never thought Vincent the type…_

Vincent pointedly ignored her and Yuffie knew her teasing was over for the moment. Really, it made her wonder how a man like him would know anything about… that… but then again… He'd had a girlfriend once, she knew, but… Could he even _bend_ like that? _Hm…_She caught herself before she let her mind travel too far down that road. It would _not_ do to go thinking of his lean body contorting into such intimate poses…

_Damn it! There I go again!_ _Stop it, Yuffie!_ She was vaguely aware that he was watching her and, more importantly, that he was watching her stare at him, possibly with her eyes glazed over. She sneezed and leaned closer to the fire to get warmer.

"Mizu, I believe I saw another room adjacent to this one," Vincent said softly. Yuffie was aware that he hadn't taken his eyes from her and was feeling very self-conscious. "I suggest you make that your sleeping quarters."

"Oh… W-what about you, Mister Vincent?" Mizu asked timidly, unwilling to rob him of a bed.

"Do not worry about me. Take Yuffie's candle and go."

Mizu nodded and stood, taking the candle and wishing them a good night before heading off. Once Yuffie heard the final swish of the straw mat, she looked up at he companion. "What was that about?"

He continued to stare at her for a while before finally moving to undo his cloak. Yuffie simply stared as the crimson cloth fell to the ground, inappropriate thoughts rising unbidden to her mind. His boots were off next, and it was as he was undoing the silver buttons of his black shirt that she managed to find her voice again.

"W-w-what are you doing?" she asked, almost feeling the need to panic. He tilted his head slightly in confusion before he seemed to realize the reason for her discomfort.

"I am laying my clothes to dry," he explained as he continued to remove his shirt. Yuffie was treated to her first full view of his pale chest and noted oddly that the view was nice. He noticed her staring and a small smirk graced his lips as he chuckled. "What did you think I was going to do?"

Yuffie mumbled under her breath, blushing deeply. She suspected that this was his revenge on her for causing him embarrassment earlier. She adverted her gaze from his half clothed body and stared fixedly into the flames.

"Take them off."

_What the… Huh!?_ "Excuse me!?" she asked incredulously, her head whipping up painfully to stare into his eyes. _He's not serious… No… He is **not**… Oh, yes, yes he is._

He sighed and his tone was slow and patient, as if explaining to a small child. "Yuffie, you need to take off those wet garments to let them dry. If you leave them on, you are going to become very, very ill. Here," he handed her a blanket so she could preserve her modesty and turned his back to her.

She glared at the back of his head as she quickly, if grudgingly, complied with his demands. _Talk to **me** like a child… Bastard… _She shucked her uselessly soaked garments, laying them a safe distance from the fire before she deftly wrapped the blanket around herself. The material was itchy and smelled musty, but it was dry at least. The air was much colder now that her skin was exposed, and she sat swiftly next to the fire once more, seeking warmth as a shiver wracked her body. "You can turn around now," she told him, her voice irritable.

She watched as he made his way to the mattress and sat upon it, beckoning her towards him. She felt herself blush again as indecent thoughts rose unbidden to her mind once more. "What…?" she asked, staring at him. His eyes glowed eerily in the shadows.

"You need to sleep," he told her, his voice even. "And while blue may be fashionable these days, I doubt if it's the color you want your lips to be."

Yuffie reached up hesitantly to feel her lips. They were cold. _Very_ cold. So was the rest of her body. It dawned on her. _Body heat… **Now** I get it! Why didn't I realize it **before** I started thinking bad thoughts?_ Not that it would've changed said thoughts, but still… It was nice to have a rational explanation as to why Vincent was practically ordering her to sleep with him… _Er, wrong choice of words, there…_ She berated herself as she walked almost meekly to the mattress and laid next to him, blushing heavily.

He turned and instantly pulled her against him, wrapping the extra blanket around both of them. Yuffie found breathing getting unnaturally difficult and she schooled herself _not_ to hyperventilate. Her face was pressed against his muscular chest, and she could feel his soft hand running back and forth over her arm to try and bring back warmth. And it was laying here next to him that she realized just how cold she'd really been. She hadn't even realized that her lips had turned blue! She gulped and tried to repress a shiver that ran through her body once more… and not because of the cold.

And so, with a rapidly heating- perhaps _over_heating- body, Yuffie felt herself drift off into the world of dreams that she was sure would include a shirtless Vincent.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Vincent sighed in relief as he felt Yuffie's breathing even out into a regular pattern. He had been worried for a moment that she would burst into hysterics at the thought of having to sleep against him, especially considering their current state of undress. Chaos had been ecstatic, and had persisted in giving him 'helpful' advice. Vincent had asked him to kindly 'shut the hell up, you perverted bastard.'

Vincent shifted uncomfortably. She was pressed rather… intimately… against him, and her breath, warm against his chest, was putting some very Chaos-esque thoughts into his head. It was a typical scenario, straight from a cheesy romance novel, he knew. 'Guy and girl caught in blizzard/storm find cave/cabin and one blanket/bed. They remove their soaked garments and proceed to seek warmth amongst each other.' Lucrecia had _loved_ those stories. Vincent was living one, and he found it extremely awkward.

His thoughts shifted back to the girl in his arms as she shifted, a slight snore escaping her lips. He felt something damp on his chest and groaned as he glanced down. Just great… She'd drooled all over him. He grimaced and wiped the offending liquid from his chest before returning his hand to her arm when something caught his eye. He gulped, remembering the last time they'd shared a bed. He tried to tear his gaze away but found he couldn't.

Her throat, smooth and lovely, shone palely in the firelight. He could practically see it pulse in time to the beating of her heart against him. He took a deep breath. He would _not_ take advantage of her trust in him by giving in to his newfound instincts. He bit his lip softly, not at all surprised to feel an abnormally sharp incisor press into his flesh. He forced himself to tear his gaze away from the tender flesh of her neck. He had to think of something else before he did something he'd regret. He stared at the ceiling and thought of slowly vivisecting the source of his new curse: Cyrus. But his attention was not diverted for long.

The scent of lilies was overpowering his sensitive sense of smell and drew his attention once more to Yuffie. The fates were taunting him, it seemed, because she'd happened to have moved her head into his chest just _so…_ Exposing her throat to him in such a way that just _begged_ him to take the offering. The disturbing scenes that played in his head would probably have made Chaos proud. He fought his instincts. He repressed his urge to just turn her on her back and pin her hands above her head as her gray-blue eyes opened in sleepy confusion and lower his lips slowly to her neck… And drink, as he divested her of the blanket with a single swipe of his claw… And she would squirm and moan, this girl would, as he took her life as his…

And Vincent was no longer the man who warmed her and kept her from freezing in the harsh cave. He had reverted back into the monster who had tried to claim Tifa under the Blood Moon, aware only of the soft feel of her skin and the pulse of her blood flowing gently through her warm, waiting body…

He lowered his head to her throat in preparation to feast.

~*~End Chapter~*~

__

~Uh oh… It's happening again! What will happen? Who knows!? Argh!!!! Anyways, sorry again for the delay. While you're waiting for the next chapter, why don't you check out my other story- Please Don't Say Goodbye. It's short; won't even take you five minutes. (Times may vary, depending on reading speed ^_^) Until the next chapter! Bai bai!~

~Kai


	16. Inner Demons

Hi-hi, minna! I just wanted to take the time to assure you that the rumors of my death were completely accurate. However!-even death could only keep me away for so long and now I have returned to continue this story. Sorry it took so long, but it took me awhile to chew through the coffin and dig my way through seven ft of dirt. Fortunately we've had a lot of rain lately… In all seriousness, my computer is the one that died. But a new adapter has been procured and we're back on track now. Didja miss me?

Ninja

16

Yuffie yawned, her peaceful slumber broken by the vague notion that something was amiss. _Okay, okay, what's wrong… _There was a very warm and strong body next to hers, and wisps of long hair rested haphazardly across her bare skin. _Long hair…and…bare skin!? What the &%!?_ Panicking, Yuffie bolted up to find herself gazing down at a very shirtless and rather bemused Vincent.

"What the hell!?" Yuffie asked, pulling the blanket up where it had slipped. She had _not_ wanted him to see that… Then she remembered. _Of course, of course… He kept me from freezing…_ She laughed nervously. _Oh boy… I am **so** not a morning person…_

She was startled out of her inner dialogue when the felt his hand wrap around her arm. Yuffie barely registered the small grin on his face before she was jerked roughly against him, her head resting somewhat awkwardly against his shoulder.

"I wasn't done resting yet," he said. Yuffie blinked, trying to sort things out. This was very unlike the gothic gunman she knew. She felt a warm hand run down her back and settle on her rear. She let out a yell as he grabbed it firmly and practically threw herself away from him.

"Vincent! What the (&% is wrong with you!?" She demanded, wrapping the sheet firmly around her body. The look of feigned innocence on his pale face confirmed her rising suspicions. "Chaos…"

He grinned, exposing a couple of well formed fangs that Yuffie could have sworn weren't there yesterday. "Yep!" his voice dropped to a lower, more sensual tone. "I missed you too…"

"What the &%! happened to Vinnie!?" she demanded, fighting off her rising blush.

Chaos pouted, resting his cheek against his hand in mock distress. "Oh how cruel you are…" He shrugged, waving his hand dismissively. "He's, shall we say, 'indisposed' at the moment. Seems he can't control those raging hormones of his. So naturally _I_ had to fill in for him! Unless, of course," he glanced slyly at her, "you would rather I had let him take you brutally and with much bloodshed as you lay helpless, maybe even _willing_,in the spell of his hypnotic gaze. Which, when I think about it, sounds like a good idea…"

Yuffie fixed him with a look of mixed disgust and horror as she processed this new information. "You mean Vinnie almost…"

"Yep!" The grin on Chaos's face was much to cheerful.

"…So how long do I gotta put up with you?"

"I'm hurt, Yuffie, I really am!" he protested, his face oddly the perfect picture of wounded innocence. "But I expect you and I will be getting a lot of together time now. Unless, of course, 'Vinnie' decides to venture forth into the world once more. And I expect it might take a bit more than telling him I'm a pervert this time…"

Yuffie groaned and rubbed her head. _I do **not** need this crap this early in the morning…_ She glanced at the man before her and was rewarded with a sly smirk and a wink that caused her to blush. _Perverted he may be, but… It **is** Vincent's body… And Vinnie's damn hot…_

"Bucket for that drool, sweetie?" Chaos asked, leaning back so she got a good look at Vincent's bare chest.

She mentally slapped herself. "Go to Hell," she muttered, turning her burning face away from him and trying unsuccessfully to purge her mind of the image. It occurred to her that Hell might have been his actual place of origin, but Yuffie didn't dwell on the thought long. Keeping the blanket wrapped firmly around her slender frame, Yuffie moved towards her now dry clothes and stooped to pick them up. With Vincent, she would have simply asked him to politely turn his back to her. However, she didn't trust Chaos. She threw him a death glare before stalking out of the room and into the dark cave passage. Light flooded into the otherwise desolate hall from beneath a half-rotted wooden door to her left, and she gave the door a short knock before kicking it open.

"M-miss Yuffie!" Mizu squeaked, turning startled green eyes towards her unexpected visitor. The perturbed Ancient was bent over the occult books, obviously in the middle of translating. Yuffie sighed and closed the door.

"Mizu, we have a problem…"

* * *

"Viiiii-_iiiiic_…! Slow _do-wn_!" Adriana complained, brushing aside a lock of deep green hair. "Mideel isn't going to _vanish_!"

Vic fixed her with a cool gaze as he heedlessly drove the small hydroplane onwards. His hair whipped wildly around his head, the sun catching in the silvery strands and sharply contrasting with the darkness of his coat. He drove like a maniac over the azure waters, and Adriana knew that they should've been tossed over long ago. Yet somehow, Vic had proved skilled at handling the hydroplane despite his seemingly reckless actions. It wasn't that the ocean was rough…

"You're doing it again," he accused.

Adriana jumped slightly, startled from her thoughts. "Huh? Doing what?" she asked curiously.

"Staring at me."

"But I can't help it!" she pouted. "You just draw my gaze for some reason…" She giggled at his semi-disgusted expression and her voice lost it's flirtatious lilt. "I still wish we could have brought Aileen."

"She's better off wherever you left her. The farther she is from Cyrus, the better." Vic said finally. They rode in silence, both picturing the horrors that might befall the small girl should the scientist discover her.

_She should be safe,_ Adriana thought, letting her eyes drift across the endless ocean, _After all, that man didn't seem the type to abandon an apparently orphaned child. And as soon as this business with Vinnie clears up I can go back for her. _She sighed, and the sinking feeling in her gut had nothing to do with Vic's erratic boating. The Mideel laboratory was her most hated of all places aside from the basement of the Nibelheim mansion. It was where Cyrus kept Claude. Adriana shuddered, and prayed that a similar fate never befell her darling Aileen.

* * *

There was a jolt, and Yuffie felt a strong hand grab firmly onto her breast. She let out a high-pitched curse and elbowed the man behind her in the ribs, feeling him whimper slightly. The hand released her and fell back to its previous position on her hips.

"Ow…" Chaos whined behind her, her lips close to her ear so she could hear him. "You didn't need to be so rough! I was only keeping myself from falling off…"

"Suuure…" Yuffie muttered. Riding chocoboback with Chaos seated behind her was a true test of Yuffie's patience. And Yuffie wasn't a patient girl to begin with. He had a tendency to run his fingers over her in small patterns and squeeze her a bit longer than necessary. He also delighted in making occasional lewd comments in low, sultry tones into her ear, resulting in a heated blush on her part. Yuffie thanked Leviathan that they were almost to Corel. She didn't think she could take much more of this.

The dingy tents that signified their destination were nearing them, and Yuffie had never felt so glad to see this joke of a town in her entire life. Without Vincent, Yuffie had no real idea what she was supposed to be _doing_ in this place, however she wasn't going to let a trivial detail like that stop her from finding her answers! The fate of a little girl, Vincent's condition, and her own sanity depended on her! And she was _not_ going to spend the rest of her life hanging around a perverted demon.

"We're here!" she yelled triumphantly, jumping from Rikku and throwing her arms up. "_Gawd _does it feel good to get off that chocobo and on the ground!" she turned to smile at Mizu. "Right, Mizu?"

Chaos was next to Cecil, helping the Mizu dismount the golden chocobo. In fact, he was the very picture of chivalry until he gave the flame haired Ancient a firm grope on the bottom, causing her to gasp and stiffen before hurrying away from him and hiding behind Yuffie. The younger girl promptly rushed up to Chaos and smacked him.

"You can't trust this creep, Mizu," Yuffie warned, returning to the distressed Ancient's side. The poor woman's face was the same hue as her hair.

"I-I'll remember next time, Miss Yuffie," Mizu stuttered, looking around. "Is this really Corel? My, that fire really _did _destroy this town… It used to be so beautiful…" She trailed off, her expression sad.

Yuffie strained her eyes, focusing on a bulky figure that seemed incredibly familiar. She grinned. "We need information, right?" she asked, looking at Mizu. The Ancient nodded. "Well, I know the perfect place to start!" She ran towards the figure, waving her arms wildly. "HEY BARRET! YO!! SAILOR MAN!!!!"

The dark man stared at her approaching figure blankly before recognition finally set in. "YUFFIE! What're you doin' here?" he asked, surprise evident in his voice as well as his face.

"Just wonderin' if you'd seen anything suspicious around here lately," Yuffie told him, stopping just short of bowling into her large friend. "Vinnie had a feeling that something was goin' on over here. Anything about the kidnappers?"

"Naw… Nothin' new 'round here…" he trailed off, looking past Yuffie to her approaching companions. "Hey, is that Vincent? YO, VINCENT! HOW'S IT GOIN'!?"

To Yuffie's slight surprise, Chaos remained aloof. He nodded towards the lumbering man before him in the same way Vincent would have and remained silent.

Barret grinned. "Heh, good to see you ain't changed. And who's this lady here? You a friend'a Yuffie's?" he leaned over to inspect Mizu, who bowed and adjusted her glasses.

"I am Mizu Koorime, a linguistics scholar and researcher of ancient civilizations. I am assisting Miss Yuffie and Mister Vincent. It's very nice to meet you, mister…?"

"Jus' call me Barret," he said, taking her hand in his and shaking it. "So, yer here to keep this kid on track, huh?"

Yuffie bristled. "Hey! I-"

"Papa, Papa!" a happy little voice called out, cutting off whatever Yuffie was going to say. A small little whirl of red yellow clothe and brown hair whizzed by back disappeared behind Barret's back. "Hide me, hide me! Big sister Ayli's after me and she's 'it'!"

Yuffie turned and saw another slightly taller girl approaching. This girl was all innocence and pink frills with large green eyes and curly auburn hair that just screamed 'adorable'. She was giggling and Yuffie had a feeling she'd seen her before. Yuffie turned to Barret.

"Isn't that the kidnapped girl?" Yuffie asked quietly so that neither of the children overheard her.

"Huh? Naw, that's Ayli, Marlene's friend. I've been lookin' after her while her mom's away workin'." Barret beamed down at the two girl's as they ran around him.

Yuffie remained suspicious, remembering how Adriana had managed to make Yuffie 'forget' about certain details. "So, what's her mom look like?" she asked nonchalantly.

"Hm… Bit like Tifa, with this long ass green hair and funky golden eyes…" Barret paused as if recalling something. He looked down at 'Ayli' and shook his head. "Well I'll be damned…" he muttered. "I been looking' after her all this time…"

Yuffie turned and flashed her companions a victorious smile. "Well, that's one mystery solved! Now what?"

"Perhaps the girl can provide us with a clue as to where her missing captors are," Chaos said, sounding so similar to Vincent that Yuffie wondered for a moment if perhaps he hadn't changed back. A small smirk in response to her puzzled look dispelled that theory, however, and she mentally groaned at having to put up with him longer.

"That's a wonderful idea, Mister Vincent!" Mizu cheered, drawing Yuffie's attention to the studious girl. "Perhaps we should question her?"

"Right!" Yuffie agreed, ignoring Barret's obvious confusion as to why they were acting so strangely regarding Vincent. Yuffie knelt down and stared at the pink-clothed girl and gestured her over. Aileen smiled and ran over to the ninja.

"Hi! You're Miss Adri's friend Miss Yuffie, right? Miss Adri talks about you alllllllll the time! I'm Aileen! Is Miss Adri with you? When's she coming back? I- ah…" The little girl trailed off as if just remembering something. "Oops," she said sheepishly, "I forgot I wasn't supposed to say anything…" She looked up at Barret. "Sorry, Mr. Barret, for not telling you and little sister Marlene, but Miss Adri said it was a secret…"

"Don't worry 'bout it," Barret said, a bit dazed. He shook his head and muttered something to himself quietly.

"You're the girl Papa's friends are looking for?" Marlene asked wonderingly. She took few steps towards her friend. "…Wow. I never thought you'd be here…"

Yuffie smiled at Aileen. "So, do you happen to know where Adri is? We're tryin' to find her, but we don't know where to go. Think you can help us out?"

Aileen tilted her head and thought for a minute. "Maybe. If I help, will you promise to take me to see Miss Adri?"

Yuffie nodded and grinned. "Of course!"

The girl smiled happily. "Okay! I'm not sure, but I heard Miss Adri talking to Mr. Vic about a laboratory. In the tropics, I think, somewhere near the Lifestream. I think that might be where they went, but I've never been there. Miss Adri says she hates it, and the scary man doesn't make her go there often."

" 'The scary man'?" Yuffie wondered aloud.

"Perhaps she is referring to Cyrus?" Chaos suggested in his masterful impersonation of Vincent.

The child nodded. "Yep! Do you think you can find her, Miss Yuffie?" Her large green eyes sparkled up at Yuffie in a manner that made the older girl determined to please and she nodded.

"You leave it to us! We'll find Adri. Besides, I think I might know where they went."

"You do?" Barret asked.

"Yep! It's easy. They're probably in Mideel. That's the only tropic place I can think of with easy Lifestream access." She grinned. "Besides, some old man named Charlie said I'd get reduced prices in the item shop there!"

Everyone stared at her as if she'd gone nuts, but then Barret began to laugh. "Yep, that's our Yuffie! Still the same old thief.."

"Hey! That's _ninja_! If I were a thief I'd just steal the items!" Yuffie huffed indignantly. _Not that I didn't use to steal 'em. But I'm past petty items-straight materia for me! Unless I'm low on cash, anyways…_

"Miss Yuffie's criminal record aside, shouldn't we be discussing how to reach Mideel?" Mizu asked. "I suppose we could go chocoboback again…"

"NO!" Yuffie blurted quickly. "Ah, I mean…" she caught herself, "Why don't we discuss it inside somewhere? Mind if we crash at your place for the night?" she asked Barret. _If we stay here, maybe Chaos'll behave for awhile._

"I guess so," Barret grunted. "C'mon, I'll show you my house." He led the way, and Yuffie was pleased to note that there were actually house's being built. It was a start, but maybe Corel would finally start to pick up.

…And maybe, just _maybe_, Chaos would stop touching her ass as he walked next to her.

_Smack!_

End Chapter

Once more, I am very sorry about this late update and for that cliffhanger! Chaos is back-who missed him? How many of you thought Vinnie'd bite Yuffie? C'mon, be honest… I thought about it, but then… Chaos! Ja ne!

Kai


	17. Fighting Against Lechery

I've been going through a creative slump lately. For some reason, the ideas for Ninja haven't been flowing. Add this to this the fact that I've discovered the world of Final Fantasy XI and… well… you know… () So, for all those who are, for some reason, still reading this story, I thank you. Forgive my lapse.

Ninja

17

The skies above Corel couldn't be called azure, even by an abnormally kind observer, but they made a valiant attempt. Yuffie, however, who was not the kindest of observers by any stretch of the imagination, glared at it and cursed it under her breath. The sun was shining in her eyes and was, in fact, responsible for her state of consciousness. She shifted, throwing an arm over her eyes as she gathered her thoughts.

Barret had, true to his word, allowed them to stay at his home. Unfortunately, his house was only half complete since decent wood was expensive and hard to procure in this area. This meant that there was one room available, and that was only if one didn't mind rooming with the kids. Yuffie, not being particularly fond of the prospect of two giggling prepubescent girls, had opted to sleep outside. And, due to the wonders of time zones, the sun had risen an hour earlier than Yuffie thought was strictly necessary. She rose and stretched, her muscles aching in protest, and winced as she heard her back pop.

"Oh, Miss Yuffie! I'm so glad you're awake!"

Yuffie turned towards the cheerful voice of the young Ancient and waved. "Hey, Mizu. What's up?" she asked, stifling a yawn. _No one should be that cheery in the morning…_ She thought dourly.

Mizu was in the process of hanging laundry. Yuffie noted a yellow sheet that most likely belonged to Marlene and suspected that it had probably had a slightly darker spot of yellow the night previous. A nightgown and pair of panties confirmed her speculations and she couldn't quite retain the smirk that rose to her face. The other woman caught her expression and scratched her head.

"Poor Marlene had a nightmare," she explained quietly, lest the girl overhear from wherever she might be, "She was absolutely mortified, the poor girl." She finished hanging the last bit of laundry and turned her full attention to Yuffie. "I'm happy to see you are awake. Mister Barret said he had to negotiate with the overseers of the lumber in Gongaga, but that it was nice to see you and that we should leave Marlene with Mrs. Xenith next door before we leave." She gestured towards the house right of Barret's. "I've fixed breakfast, if you would like some," she added.

There was a massive rumbling from Yuffie's midsection at the mention of food and she grinned. "Thanks Mizu! Make sure Aileen's ready and… Where's Chaos?" Yuffie glanced around warily lest he appear behind her with lecherous intent.

Mizu stroked her chin in thought. "Hm… I don't recall seeing Mister Chaos since dinner last night. Why don't you go enjoy breakfast while I attempt to locate him?"

Yuffie nodded. "Okay! And remember: Don't take any crap from him, got it? If he gets grabby you smack him! Hard! 'Kay?"

Mizu winced at the thought of smacking someone. "I-I'll remember, Miss Yuffie," she promised solemnly.

Satisfied, Yuffie headed into the kitchen to devour her breakfast.

* * *

Aileen was ready. Mizu was ready. Yuffie was ready. And Chaos was nowhere to be seen. The studious Ancient had searched every part of town she could think of and had still been unable to locate him, much to Yuffie's annoyance.

What's gotten into him? She wondered, steering Rikku along the dirty trail Corel called a road. _He's been acting kinda Vincenty since we got here. Now he's even gone off by himself!_ Yuffie fumed as she remembered this irksome trait of Vincent's. _Hm… Vinnie usually went someplace secluded and scenic when he went off to mope… Wonder if Chaos'll do the same thing…?_

Yuffie paused Rikku's progression down the path as she tried to recall the most dramatic spot she could think of. Then she remembered. "Of course!" she muttered, slapping her hand to her head. "I'm thinking about it wrong! _Vinnie_'d go off for a mope, but Chaos… _Chaos_'d go where a demon can be a demon." She turned the chocobo around and headed in the direction of the brightly colored signs. After all, a man like Chaos Valentine would be easy to track, if enough people saw him.

She led Rikku to the small building that operated the tram to the Gold Saucer and peered through the wire. The grubby, dirt smudged face of a teen boy peered back out at her.

"Ten Gil per person. Children thirteen and under free. Chocobos fifty." he informed her. It sounded as if he'd spent all morning memorizing this speech.

"What!?" Yuffie growled, "Last time I was here it was free!"

"Sorry," the boy mumbled sullenly, "'twas Mayor Barret's idea. To raise money. For Corel."

Yuffie grumbled as she privately wondered if this boy could speak in whole sentences. "Look, money aside, can you tell me if someone boarded the tram recently? A man, about this tall, long black hair, kinda pale and dressed in red and black…?"

She was met with a wary gaze. "Sorry. 'm not allowed to tell you that information. 's trouble."

Yuffie sighed and stifled a groan. _It's a long shot, but…_ "Please," she simpered, fixing him with her most distraught expression, "I wouldn't ask, only he's my boyfriend and I was supposed to meet him here earlier but I'm running late and he's so impatient that I'm afraid he's gone ahead without me and-"

"You mean that guy was your boyfriend!?" the boy asked incredulously.

"Ye-ah…" Yuffie said, nervously. _Why do I suddenly think this is a bad idea…?_

"Man! You must be brave! 'twas creepy. And rude. 's got freaky eyes." he nodded at her. "Went up not long ago. Better not keep him waiting. Eh?"

"Right," Yuffie mumbled, trying to avoid the boy's gaze. She had the awful feeling that he liked to gossip. She tried to shake the blush that was rising to her cheeks. "I'll be back," she told him as she steered Rikku towards Barret's house. _After all, I'm sure Mizu and the kid wanna come, too._

Mizu and Aileen were playing some strange game when Yuffie approached and called out to them. The older woman quickly stood and ran towards the ninja, Aileen trailing behind her.

"Did you find him Miss Yuffie?" Mizu asked, absently dusting off her dress. Yuffie watched bemusedly as the little girl mimicked the Ancient's actions.

"We-ell… Yes and no," Yuffie told her, jumping off of Rikku and leading the bird to the stables with Cecil. "Someone told me that he sneaked off to the Golden Saucer. So, I thought we'd go check it out." She continued as she strode purposefully towards the tram once more.

"The Golden Saucer!?" Aileen asked excitedly, bounding in front of Yuffie and managing to walk backwards without tripping. "Miss Adri told me about that place! And we're really for real going?"

Yuffie nodded and grinned. "Yep! You and Mizu're going to go have lotsa fun while I look for someone." _And have a bit of fun myself while I search. And pounding Chaos into a bloody pulp should be entertaining too._

"Miss Yuffie, we're here," Mizu said, pulling Yuffie from her violent daydreams.

"Good, good. You have twenty Gil?" Yuffie asked, facing the naïve scholar.

"Well yes, but why…"

"'Cause that's how much the tickets cost," Yuffie explained, holding out her hand. When the coins were dropped into her awaiting appendage she shoved the other two gently but firmly towards the tram. "I'll get the tickets. You two go wait over there."

She grinned as she approached the building again and slapped the Gil on the counter. The boy was busy talking to a coworker who must've been on break earlier and didn't seem to notice her. She cleared her throat. "Excuse me."

The two jumped and stared at her. The familiar boy nudged his friend and Yuffie could barely hear him say "'s her". Her grin dropped.

"Ready?" he asked, reaching for the tickets.

"Two adults and a kid," Yuffie replied testily. _Probly shoulda sent Mizu…I don't think a free ticket's worth this…_

With the tickets in hand, she strode purposefully towards the other two girls, ignoring the gazes on the back of her head. "Let's go!" she grinned, handing the guard their tickets and entering the tram. She watched as Mizu stepped in slowly behind her and took a seat, her head turned purposefully away from the window. "What's up, Mizu?" Yuffie asked.

"O-oh… N-nothing much…" the red haired woman responded nervously.

"Oh!" Aileen hopped next to the woman. "Are you afraid of heights Miss Mizu?" she asked innocently.

"Y-yes I am…" Mizu responded, her face downcast.

"Really?" Yuffie wondered. "How'd you get to the Ancient's city? We always had to do a lot of climbing goin' that way."

"Well…"

Mizu's reply was cut short as the tram jerked into motion. The next few minutes were spent in silence save for Aileen's voice as she pointed out various landmarks below them. It was clear that she'd never seen much besides Neo Midgar's slums and wherever Adriana had kept her. Yuffie'd been told that the view _there _had been very pink.

The door was opened, and Mizu practically knocked the Moogle guy over in her haste to leave. She was followed very closely by an excited Aileen and Yuffie, who was always glad to visit the Gold Saucer.

The entry was exactly as Yuffie remembered it. Plush carpets lined the floor and fireworks could be seen in the distance. She strode past the bouncing girl and the relieved woman and headed straight for the blond woman awaiting them at the entrance.

"Hello ma'am," said the woman pleasantly, "Welcome to the Gold Saucer. Would you like to purchase a ticket?"

"Nah," Yuffie replied, flipping out her life pass and presenting it. "These two are with me. Say," Yuffie leaned closer, "I'm trying to find my… er… boyfriend." _Oh gawd. I HATE telling people this… _"Tall, long black hair, dressed in black and red…?"

The woman's eyes lit up. "Him? Oooh… You're sooo lucky! He bought a pass not long ago and asked me where the Battle Square was." She winked, and Yuffie felt her face coloring. "I hope you two have _lots_ of _fun _tonight. Be sure to drop by the Event Square later."

"Yeah… right…" Yuffie mumbled, motioning for the others to follow her as she walked swiftly past the woman and into the main room.

They gathered in the golden glow of the round room as they decided what they should do next. "Okay," Yuffie said, mostly to Mizu since Aileen was running around examining the names on the chutes, "I'll look around for Chaos. You and the kid go have fun, but keep an eye out for him too, 'kay?"

Mizu nodded and turned towards the child. "Where would you like to go, Aileen?"

"Wonder Square!" Aileen cheered, taking Mizu's hand and tugging. "Let's go to the Wonder Square!"

Yuffie giggled as the two disappeared down the chute and made her way to the one that would take her to the Battle Square. She broke from a walk to a run and grabbed the top edge as she propelled herself down into the darkness. Small lights flashed by as she slid through the tunnel and was suddenly deposited in the small padded chamber that marked her destination. It never ceased to amaze her that these tunnels worked…

The Battle Square was every bit as impressive as she remembered and then some. The lights flashed dramatically behind the looming stone building as adrenaline-inducing music blared from the loudspeakers. She took the steps two at a time, hardly waiting to sign herself up for a match. _I mean, sure I'm here to look for Chaos, but it's been sooo long! Besides, with all this anger and energy, it's probably best if I take it out on something else first. I mean, he's not much good to anyone dead…_

And so, with this reasoning, she walked purposefully to the desk and slammed her hands down on it. "Sign me up!" she said, not waiting for the girl in front of her to speak. "C'mon, c'mon, _come **on!**_"

"Er… Which match, Miss? There's a special tournament today, if you like…?"

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. How soon?" Yuffie snapped, beginning to air box. She'd been frustrated lately and _needed_ a fight.

"Um… In two minutes if you could tell me your name…?"

"Yuffie Kisaragi. K-I-S-A-R-A-G-I. No! Not Yuppie! _Yuffie!_ With two goddamn Fs!" the ninja snapped. _Yuppie?! What the hell!?_

"R-right through those doors Miss!" the girl cringed, trying to hide behind her clipboard.

"All RIGHT!" Yuffie cheered, grabbing her Conformer and twirling, almost falling over. "Watch out for the greatest Ninja ever! **_Yuffie Kisaragi_**!" she yelled, charging through the open steel doors.

* * *

Yuffie stood in the dark room, the murmur of the audience serving to heighten her already boiling blood. She shifted her Conformer when the voice of Dio suddenly blared from the walls.

**"Ladiiiiieesssssss aaaaaannnnnnnd Gentlemennnn!!!!!! The Battle Square is pleased to announce, in the spirit of our anniversary and the birthday of yours truly, the annual Battle of the Best! Random contestants are drawn and pitted head to head against one another! To get the festivities started, we announce our first contestants! In this corner!"** A light flashed on, illuminating Yuffie who posed dramatically and spun, barely managing to keep her balance. **"Yuffie Kisaragi! It's been awhile since we've seen this little fireball in the arena! And in this corner!" **the light across from her flashed on to reveal the dark and oddly expected form of Vincent Valentine grinning at her, **"Chaos! Is it just me or does he look familiar!? Let the battllllle BEGIN!!!!!!"**

Yuffie sprung forward and circled Chaos warily, trying to read his intentions and get a feel for his fighting style.

"Why hello, Yuffie dear," he said pleasantly. She noticed that he didn't seem to be holding any kind of weapon at all. "Isn't this a pleasant surprise?"

"What the hell'd you run off for!?" she fumed, aiming an experimental kick at his shin. He dodged without her even getting close.

"Just wanted some excitement. That pitiful excuse for a town was boring me to tears," he explained. He lunged forward unexpectedly and swiped at her with his left claw.

She brought her arm guard forward quickly and managed to block, the metal scraping harmlessly over the armor. "Che! You do realize that I'm gonna kick your ass all over this arena, right!?" She said, slashing at his unprotected side with her Conformer. A thin trail of blood formed on Chaos's right arm and he grinned.

"Perhaps…" he mused, grinning and exposing his sharp incisors. "But maybe we could make the fight more interesting…?" He kicked low and punched upwards, his right hand barely grazing her as she spun away.

"Whaddaya mean?" she asked, her danger sense overpowered by her natural instinct to take chances. She danced around him and managed to land a punch on his side before dodging away again.

"I mean," he said, swiping his claw at her and missing, "that if I win, you must go with me on a date after this."

Yuffie raised an eyebrow at him, still wary for any tricks. "And if I win…?" she asked, dodging a punch and kicking him in the shin.

"Hm… If you win, I swear that I shall cease all lewd and lecherous advances on you and behave myself," he blocked her high kick, "Is that acceptable? You don't have to agree if you don't think yourself capable of winning. After all, it's good to recognize your limitations…" He grinned infuriatingly.

That was all it took. Yuffie glared, whatever warnings her head had been issuing previously shut down as her anger took over. "Fine! I accept!" she yelled, rushing forward and aiming her weapon at his unprotected body once more. _Amateur! I got this won!_

But instead of impaling him with the sharp tip of the shuriken, she found herself striking air as he dodged. She felt a pressure near her chest and wobbled as she regained her balance. She felt the straps of her arm guard give way as the armor fell off and clattered heavily to the ground. She blinked in confusion.

"Hey! No fair! You were holding back earlier!" she fumed, running back towards him. This time she jumped, sending a barrage of shuriken and smoke bombs at him. Not waiting for the smoke to clear, she threw her Conformer into the heart of the gray smog and awaited it's return. When it didn't, she knew she'd hit him and waited for the choking cloud to dissipate before checking the damage…

Then there was an eruption of smoke in her direction as a red and black figure darted from the recesses, her Conformer in his right hand and his claw extended…

She had no time to dodge as she felt the cold metal slash across her back, barely gazing her skin. She turned to glare at Chaos and was amazed to see him smirking at her. Then she heard the catcalls from the audience. And _then_ she noticed that it was a bit breezier than usual. She looked down at the shredded remains of her favorite green shirt, laying forlornly on the floor. She growled, her anger drowning out her embarrassment as she lunged towards him once more.

He dodged gracefully, and Yuffie didn't even see the foot until she tripped over it. She felt herself tumbling towards the floor and felt the slightest of updrafts pass over her body. She landed on her knees, arms crossed protectively over her breasts as she felt the material of her bra give way.

"I give! I give! You win, okay!?" she yelled furiously, raising her angry gray eyes to meet the glowing crimson of Chaos. He smirked as he reached down to offer her a hand.

**"And the winner of this most stimulating match is… CHAOS!!!!!!!"** Cheers followed this statement and the applause was more than Yuffie felt was necessary. She kept one arm crossed securely over her chest and took Chaos's hand as she pulled herself up.

Her eyes widened as she felt a lump of cloth slip down her hips and pool around her ankles. The audience got a brief glance at her silken black panties before she wrapped herself securely into the crimson folds of Vincent's cape. A couple of workers darted out and collected her discarded belongings, stowing them in a bag and handing them to Yuffie's one uncovered hand.

It was as they were being ushered out of the arena that that she heard Chaos's amused voice above her. "Black silk…?"

Yuffie colored and elbowed him as hard as she could. "Shut up! Silk happens to be Wutai's main cloth!" She grumbled a bit. "Lend me your cape."

"And why should I do that? I rather like this arrangement," he said, sliding an arm around her shoulders and snickering as she stiffened.

"Because…" she forced her voice to take a sweet tone, "You need to stay here and finish the tournament. And _I_ need to keep covered while I find some clothes… You know, for our _date_." _)&%ing perverted opportunist demon…!_

He grinned and shrugged out of the cape. "Of course, dearest Yuffie! Do try and find something _nice_ for our special night, hm…?" He shook his long ebony strands of hair away from his face and turned to leave. "Oh, and I'll have your things sent to my room if you like. I know it must be difficult to handle all of this at once."

Yuffie grumbled, but had to agree that this was the best course of action. _When'd he get a room!? I bet he planned this whole thing! Ooh…That bastard!_ Grumbling various curses, she allowed him to have her bag sent to the Hotel as she stalked off.

It was time to prepare for her date with Chaos.

End Chapter

Sporting a 'Say you love **CHAOS**!' shirt Well well well…pretty underhanded methods of winning, hm…? My my… I wonder how the date will be…? Can anyone say chaotic? Also, it's been awhile since my last visit to the Gold Saucer, so the areas may be misnamed. I'm very sorry. Tell me about misnamed Squares and help this weary writer out, 'kay?

Kai


	18. Bonds of Love

So I thought I'd plow ahead with the next chapter, seeing as I've been so late with these. Besides, who can wait to see how the date goes? I know I can't! I gots a new book called The Vampire Watcher's Handbook-anyone heard of it? So you should all thank the book that I've regained my creative energy for this story! YAY NEW BOOK!!!

Ninja

18

The dress was green. Yuffie _liked _green. Yet somehow the dress offended her. It was made of soft material and its major appealing factor was that it was one of the few dresses in her size that didn't make her look like a whore. Yet she felt awkward in it, dresses not being her forte, but there was nothing else in the whole amusement park that would work. They apparently didn't sell her kind of clothes. She adjusted the shoulder strap, only to feel the other one slide down her shoulder.

Well, at least they let me wear it out of the store…She thought, trying to stay positive. Positive thoughts were few at the moment. She grumbled, ignoring the looks she was getting from various male passerby and heading sullenly for the Battle Arena chute and tossing herself down it. The dress bunched up over her hips and she barely managed to straighten it before she was dumped into the transparent chamber of her destination. She exited and began to stalk up the steps.

Her progress was cut short as she ran into an unyielding figure before her. She looked up and exploded. "Watch it buddy! I was walking here first!" Her mind registered who she was yelling at and she sulked. ")&ing Chaos."

"Aw, don't be like that…" he pouted, leaning down to grasp her chin lightly in his hand and turn her face to his. "You look delectable, my dear," he murmured, slipping a thornless black rose in her hair and taking his cape from her.

She felt her face heat up. It never occurred to her that Chaos could be quite so charming. In fact, in non-pervert mode she supposed he was probably even bearable. Although she wasn't quite comfortable with the word 'delectable' used to describe her from a demon trapped in an adolescent vampire's body. It was just a bit unsettling.

He grinned and offered her his arm, his cape having been refastened. "Shall we…?" he asked, obviously waiting to escort her down the stairs.

Yuffie wrinkled her brow in confusion as she wrapped her arm around his warily. _I wonder where he learned manners…? Then again, I suppose he **is** a few thousand years old or something…_

The smirk on his face was enough to tell Yuffie that Chaos was aware of her confusion and was enjoying it immensely. She stood as far away from him as their arms would allow. "So… where to?" she asked nervously.

"I hear that there's a special event happening at the Event Square," Chaos said, pulling her towards the chute that would take them to the aforementioned area. "I'm curious as to what these humans are so excited about. Shall we see…?" He waited as she lowered herself into the chute.

She barely had time to roll to the side before Chaos landed solidly behind her, chuckling. "Those slides are rather fun!" he said, standing and taking her arm securely in his again. "Now, let's get on with the festivities!"

The blinding light that shone on them as they stepped through the doorway was enough to warn Yuffie that things were about to go from odd to surreal. Chaos's arm was all that stopped her from backing out and bolting.

**_"Congratulations to our 100th couple!"_** boomed a voice from above. Yuffie cringed; Aeris had told her about this… **_"Will you two follow the Moogle behind stage please?"_**

Chaos grinned. "Does this mean we won?"

Yuffie simply groaned.

* * *

/ _In the far off land of Ilex there dwelt a lovely princess named Celeste /_

Yuffie twirled onto the stage, her green dress flying dramatically around her legs. They hadn't given her much in the way of instructions, so most of it was all improvision. She smiled anyway- if there was one thing she enjoyed, it was an audience. _Hm… this isn't so bad…_

_/ She was kind and strong and beautiful and beloved by many /_

/ One day, she ventured into the field to pick flowers for her mother /

Yuffie bent and picked at a few of a faux flowers, depositing them in a basket she'd been given.

_/ Unfortunately, an evil Lich king happened to spy the fair maiden and took her to his lair /_

An actor dressed in tattered royal rags and heavy pale makeup twirled up next to Yuffie and 'abducted' her. She struggled against him feebly until he cast his 'spell' on her and dropped the basket as she pretended to fall unconscious. The 'Lich' proved quite strong and picked her up and twirled away with her in his arms. She waited offstage while Chaos and the distraught Queen and Wizard twirled on from the opposite side.

_/ Fortunately, the Queen Celine foresaw her daughter's fate. She called forth the magician Rasputin and the legendary hero Sekel to aid her in the return of her beloved daughter. /_

"Oh legendary hero!" the Queen beseeched, "Wilt thou rescue mine daughter from the horrid Lich King? Her hand unto you I do pledge for her rescue!"

Chaos posed dramatically. He seemed to be enjoying himself. "Mine Queen, I do pledge the rescue of thy daughter as mine sacred duty! But I've no means of slaying the undead menace that doth hold her captive!"

"Then mine Wizard Rasputin shall bequeath thee with the knowledge!"

At these words the light shone on the Wizard. "Oh legendary hero! The way to dispose of the Lich King is by simply to run this most sacred of swords, the sword Delmar, through the vile fiend's heart of dust!"

Chaos took the sword from the Wizard. At this queue, the Lich picked up the 'sleeping' Yuffie and twirled onstage before depositing her on the ground. "Legendary hero! I, the mighty Lich King, have placed the Princess under my eternal spell! She and her kingdom shall be forever mine!"

"I think not, foul fiend!" Chaos shouted, thrusting forward and 'impaling' the Lich on the holy sword.

"Ach! I may be defeated, but you shall never awaken the Princess!" The Lich vowed as he fell to the floor in defeat. Chaos approached Yuffie slowly and held her upper body up in his arms.

"Oh Princess Celeste! How ever can I awaken thee from thy unnatural slumber?"

"A kiss!" cried the Queen.

"A kiss!" cried the Wizard.

_A kiss!?_ thought Yuffie, starting to struggle. Chaos's arms held her still, however, and she was helpless.

"Of course! A kiss of pure love will most certainly awaken the fair and beauteous maiden!" Chaos declared. His words were innocent enough to a casual listener, but Yuffie caught the underlying tone of lechery in his voice. Her eyes flew open and she had enough time to see his victorious smirk before his warm lips were pressed firmly against hers.

She heard the far away sound of cheers, but her mind was too far away to care. Yuffie was in shock. _My… My first…My first kiss…My first date and first kiss…_She went limp, the warmth spreading through her body as she marveled at how soft Vincent's lips were. "Cha… Vinnie…" She whispered as he pulled his lips away. Chaos frowned and she saw a flicker in the crimson of his eyes. He breathed deeply as he pulled her up.

"Yuffie-"

**_"Let's hear it for our lovely couple, ladies and gentlemen! Undoubtedly the best acting from surprise guests in years!"_** Yuffie found herself bowing numbly towards the audience and saw two stunned faces that she'd rather not have seen there. In the middle of the audience were Mizu and Aileen, both clapping, though Mizu looked very stunned. And in the back was _the_ very last face she needed or expected to see: Cait Sith. The cat doll had undoubtedly recorded the whole scene in it's surveillance camera. She recovered her wits enough to pull Chaos off stage with her.

She did little more than nod and mumble a quick 'thanks' at the actors who crowded around to congratulate them on their performance as she dragged the unresisting man behind her. She pushed him into the nearest random chute and followed him as quickly as she could. She landed and glanced around. They were at the Gondola. She grabbed Chaos and pulled him with her into the ride, pausing only long enough to toss the operator the sufficient amount of GP to get it started.

Once inside, she turned towards the confused man before her.

"Yuffie, what-"

**_Smack!_**

He raised his hand to his red cheek slowly as she railed on him. "THAT'S WHAT YA GET FOR STEALING MY FIRST KISS FROM ME, YOU PERVERTED DEMON!!!!!!!!!" She shrieked as the Gondola began to move. "IF VINNIE WERE HERE…!"

"What _if _Vinnie were here…?" he replied quietly. "It certainly did not save my cheek from your retribution. Although I fully deserve any punishment you chose to deliver unto me."

Yuffie stared, her mouth slightly agape. "V-Vinnie…?" she asked uncertainly.

He nodded slowly, refusing to meet her gaze. "Although I am curious… Why did you rush to leave the stage like that?"

"Oh. There's a problem, Vinnie. Cait Sith was watching the play we were in and I just _know_ he called Cloud! Not to mention recorded us during that play…" her hand flew to her lips.

"I am so very sorry about that, Yuffie," he said quietly. "I cannot believe Chaos went so far as that…"

"No, no!" Yuffie protested, trying to draw her friend out of the depressive thoughts she knew were going through his head. "It was really kinda nice!" she assured him, "You've got very soft lips… er…" she blushed as she realized what she'd just told him.

He smirked slightly. "Do I, now…?" He shook his head as if to clear his thoughts. "Regardless, it was still unacceptable." He stared out the window for a moment and Yuffie could tell that he was thinking of running off again.

As if to confirm her thoughts, he turned towards her, his garnet eyes capturing her tempest blue eyes for a moment before she broke the contact to stare at his shoulder. After all, it was almost night. "Yuffie, I think I should leave now."

"But Vinnie…!"

"No," he interjected, holding up his hand to silence her, "This recent loss of control proves that I can no longer be allowed near you or any other. I will not permit you to argue with me this time."

Yuffie bent her head in defeat. "Kiss and run, huh…?" she muttered bitterly. Louder, she said "Well, I suppose I can't talk you out of it. At least stop by the hotel for your stuff. I care about ya, and the least I can do is make sure you leave equipped."

"Thank you, Yuffie." he said as the Gondola reached it's stop. With little more than a passing remark upon the vivid handprint adorning Vincent's otherwise pale face, the couple made their way to the hotel without incident.

"So… what room d'ya think Chaos reserved…?"

Vincent ignored her as he strode to the front desk and dinged the bell. "Chaos Valentine, room thirteen," he snapped at the hanging manager. A key, a sack, and a trophy were deposited on the desk before him. Without waiting for a comment, Vincent turned and strode swiftly up the stairs, Yuffie trailing after him.

"Looks like you won the tournament," Yuffie piped, reading the shining trophy. Vincent remained silent as he holstered the Death Penalty securely to his side. "Hold on, Vinnie. Lemme fix this…" Yuffie offered, walking up to his side. She began to adjust various oddities.

"Thank you for understanding, Yuffie," Vincent murmured, offering her a small smile. Yuffie felt bad about what she was about to do, especially when he lifted his hand to her head and trailed a warm finger down her cheek.

"Yeah, I know ya feel bad about what happened. Even though it wasn't your fault," she added, leaning into his hand. The shackle bumped against her shoulder, sending a shiver through her as the cold metal touched her warm skin. "Are ya sure you won't change yer mind?" she pleaded.

"I said no, Yuffie," he said, his voice turning cold as his hand dropped from her face.

_Well, maybe not **too **bad… _She thought, taking his right hand in her left and reaching over with her free hand.

"Yuffie…" he breathed as she leaned against him, "What are you planning…?"

She felt him tense as he realized her intention but it was too late. He jerked his arm away from her only to pull hers with it, the cuffs linking their wrists together. The cuff had shrunk to accommodate her small wrist perfectly.

"Yuffie…!" Vincent growled, grabbing her by the shoulders and forcing her to face him, "Undo the lock _this instant!_ This is not a game!"

"I know," she replied, looking away. "But these locks are tricky. I dunno know if I'll be able to undo it again…"

"What were you thinking?" he fumed, tightening his grip on her shoulders. His claw dug into her flesh and drew blood, but she remained firm.

"What were _you_ thinking!?" she returned, her temper snapping. "After going through all this crap together and involving me with creeps like Cyrus and Chaos, and gettin' me in trouble with Cloud and stealing my first kiss and having the nerve to act the martyr!? If it wasn't for me you'd still be moping in yer dusty old coffin and changing slowly into a vampire and eventually feeding on villagers an' not even &%in' knowing it! Or maybe Vic woulda found you and you'd be some specimen in Cyrus's lab while he cackles and sticks one of those collars on you! Your key'd be black and red! And then-"

Her voice was cut off by the feel of his warm lips against hers again and she tried to gasp as she felt herself grow lightheaded. He pulled away and she found herself leaning against him for support, his strong arms wrapped firmly around her limp body. Her legs felt like jelly.

"Forgive me," he said, lowering his head to her injured shoulder. Her eyes flew open as she felt something warm and damp run across the wounds. _Is he -licking- me…?_ she wondered. He stood back and she watched dazedly as he ran his fingerless glove across his overly red mouth, returning it to the proper shade.

"You…"

"You are right, however. I do owe you for all of your assistance and I suppose it may seem selfish of me to suddenly leave you. Believe me when I say that I believe it would be in your best interests, though. And now that I seem to be stuck with you, I suppose we should be leaving before the others arrive."

"You _licked_ me!" she accused, regaining the strength in her legs and stepping slightly away from him.

He nodded solemnly. "I could not stop myself. But your injury appears to have healed."

Yuffie glanced at her shoulder and was surprised to see that there was no evidence of anything ever having happened to her shoulder. She raised an eyebrow. "Freaky."

"Now I suggest we leave," he said, dragging her along behind him so swiftly that she barely had time to grab her bag from the table on the way out.

"What about Mizu?" she asked.

"Leave her. I trust you know where to head?"

"Well yeah, but…"

"That's enough. I'll take you but I'll not endanger those who don't ask for it," he warned. She dropped the subject.

She time there were quite a few odd stares as they made their way back to the tram. The chutes were awkward, but Vincent merely set her in his lap as they slid down and that seemed to work more or less. Yuffie heard a giggle from the ticket seller as they rushed past.

"I hope you find a locksmith soon…!" she called as Yuffie blushed crimson. Vincent seemed to ignore her as he dragged her into the tram.

On the way down, Yuffie fished out a piece of paper and a pen and quickly scribbled a short note. Vincent dragged her out before she'd quite managed to put the pen back up and Yuffie looked up in time to see the tram operator and his coworker staring at her.

"Guess you won't be late again. Eh?" he asked. Yuffie could hear him and his friend share a laugh and so she spared them a very unladylike hand gesture, before continuing to jog behind the rapid pace of the longer legged gunman.

"Lead me to the chocobos," he demanded, slowing his pace enough so that she could comply. She frowned.

"Okay, okay…" she mumbled. _Geez Vinnie has a foul temper! Maybe I **would** have been better without him. After all, we found Aileen. I have my own quest, so why do I care?_ The memory of his lips against hers flickered through her mind but she pushed it forcefully aside as she headed into the chocobo stables.

Cecil and Rikku warked in happiness as she stepped into the building. She walked towards Cecil and patted him, holding a green out to him as she slipped the paper into the pack containing Mizu's notes. She then turned towards Rikku and mounted, Vincent right behind her. She leaned forward and fed Rikku a sylkis green.

"Our destination's Mideel, so we'll head for Costa del Sol first and catch a boat," she explained as she headed Rikku out of Corel and towards the bridge. "I hate ships, but it's better than ocean travel aboard chocobo again."

Vincent said nothing, and Yuffie decided to take his silence as an agreement. She sighed and prepared herself for a long, silent, and miserable journey.

End Chapter

And here's the romance! Whee! Vinnie's back (finally)! Chaos's is nice, and fun to write about, but this is, after all, a Yuffentine. Not a Chaoffie. (Hm. Interesting name, eh?) I'll write an Inuyasha fic about Miroku if I really need a perverted guy to write about. Anyways, whaddaya think? Isn't Yuffie a tricky, tricky girl? They're really in a bind now! Hehe…

Kai


	19. Snake and a Swimsuit

Sigh… I'm sorry about the gradual decay on detail in my story lately. Those last two chapters were written in the same day, so I did skimp on them a bit. Let's hope this one's better, ne? The last 3 chapters also been updated, but only to correct a couple of spelling and formatting errors.. And as for Vinnie breaking the cuffs… well… Remember that they were designed specifically to contain him.

Ninja

19

Yuffie took a deep breath and let the fresh mountain air fill her lungs. The strong, overpowering scent of rose followed, and Yuffie raised her free hand the pull an annoying strand of hair out of her mouth. Vincent's arm, unfortunately, seemed to be blocking her and there was a brief period of confusion before she managed to hook her arm over his and remove the offending hair.

"Vinnie! _Do_ somethin' about your damn hair!" she grumbled, steering Rikku around a group of particularly sharp looking rocks.

"…" he replied sullenly. They hadn't even been on the chocobo very long and Yuffie already wanted to turn around and shove the silent gunman off. The only reason she hadn't considered it seriously was the fact that she'd be indirectly assuring her own downfall as well.

Yuffie sighed and considered her position. Here she was, riding to Costa del Sol with Vincent Valentine. _That_ was odd enough. Add to it the fact that he was leaning up against her, his (admittedly very nicely built) chest pressed against her back with his human arm wrapped around her waist and his hand brushing against her own arm every time she moved and it was positively surreal. Unfortunately, it sounded nicer in her thoughts than it actually was. He was sullen, moody, and silent until he broke out of his thoughts long enough to boss her around. Yuffie supposed she probably deserved it, but that was _no_ way to treat a girl whose first (and second) kiss had just been stolen! _Wrenched from me so early… _She sighed dramatically and slumped forward as far as Vincent's body would allow.

She was confused. She was young and, despite all her bravado, actually quite naïve when it came to men. Oh she knew the basics- kisses, dates, the… "birds and the bees", as it were, but when it came to actually _knowing_ said basics… well… The most she'd ever done with a boy had been strictly physical- she'd pounded them to a bloody pulp and taken their materia and/or Gil. Then she'd met Cloud and it'd started the same way- 'Here's a sucker wandering through the woods, let's pound the punk and make off with his materia!' Well, the unthinkable'd happened and she'd been very thoroughly beaten. As she traveled with him, though, she'd developed a very odd crush on the blond swordsman. It was apparent that with Aeris and Tifa, Yuffie didn't stand a chance, but the damage was done. Then they'd met Vincent, but aside from labeling him "kinda cute, but waaaaaaay too depressing" she'd never really thought about him. Yet this little adventure had thrown him into a new light. He could cook, he had a sense of humor (a bit warped, but still there) he was even a bit perverted, and was strangely cute while drunk. And when he'd kissed her… Well, at the time she'd been numb with shock, then angry, then… Well, odd. She'd _liked_ the feel of his warm, soft lips, and she'd felt dizzy and slightly drunk and very _nice_, even though she knew he'd only done it to shut her up. Which seemed very unlike him. She'd toyed with the idea of him still secretly being Chaos, but had rejected the thought about fifteen minutes into the ride to Costa del Sol.

"Pay attention to the path," Vincent snapped, his voice reverberating through his chest and startling Yuffie from her thoughts.

"Hm? Ah…" Yuffie coughed violently, shaking away the troubling train of thought. _After all, he's **still** a jerk, no matter how cute he may be!_ She absently blew at a strand of ebony hair in a vain attempt to remove it from her face as Rikku jumped gracefully over a large hole and landed smoothly on the other side. Once they passed these short outcroppings of rocks and bushes, there was nothing but rolling fields of grass all the way to sunny Costa del Sol and, despite whatever Vincent may say, a night in Cloud's villa before they set sail for Mideel. In fact, Yuffie happened to have a swimsuit packed, and a bit of sun was starting to sound nice after all the rather recent cold weather she'd had to deal with…

Rikku stopped suddenly and let out a 'wark' of alarm. Yuffie sat straight up, gazing around warily for the cause of the golden bird's sudden nervousness. She could feel Vincent do the same but realized that, with their arms locked in this awkward position, that neither of them could fight effectively while mounted. He seemed to have reached the same conclusion. She felt him lower his head to her ear.

"The cause of her alarm appears to be hiding in one of those bushes," he said, his voice low and barely audible. "Will Rikku head to the next town or will she return to Corel if separated?"

"She'd head back," Yuffie replied, equally as muted, "She doesn't know this area well and Cecil's there."

Vincent nodded. "Then we shall most likely be walking if this doesn't work. Have her run down the path as fast as she can. If we are fortunate, we will outrun the beast. If we are not, prepare to jump away from Rikku, opposite the creature, and fight."

Yuffie nodded and urged Rikku forward. The chocobo moved at amazing speed, unrivaled by any other chocobo alive, down the path. Yuffie felt her hair flowing straight back behind her and hoped perversely that Vincent was choking on it. They'd cleared the bushes and Yuffie hadn't found any sign of what could possibly have had Rikku so spooked. Even so, she didn't lessen the pace and wouldn't do so until they were well away.

She felt herself jerked from her seat on the chocobo, the shackle chaining her to Vincent cutting violently into her hand and sending a great pain through her shoulder as she hit the ground. Yuffie looked up in a panic and saw why Vincent had vacated the chocobo without first warning her.

Her eyes traveled up the long, glistening brown scales on what had to be the longest snake Yuffie'd ever seen. The scales ended in smooth brown skin of the same shade that shaped into an obviously female stomach. The creature's breasts were barely covered by the tattered remains of what had probably once been a very stylish bit of clothing of the Costa del Sol persuasion. Her face was lovely even if her black eyes shone with both an otherworldly sheen and madness, and her dark brown hair, once highlighted stylishly blond, was dusty and ragged as if combed with an inferior instrument. One slender arm gripped Vincent's claw with obviously uncanny strength, the nails long and sharp.

"GROSS_NESS!_" Yuffie groaned, rising quickly to her feet despite her battered body and readying her Conformer. Vincent, caught between the creature and Yuffie, was slower to pull himself up. He attempted to wrench his claw from the thing's grasp but failed. The thing merely stared, as if gauging their reactions.

"What the hell is it, Vinnie!? A N-naga?" She'd heard of Naga from her father, but…

"No," Vincent replied, staring into the creature's turbulent eyes. "Naga don't have arms. You," he said, addressing the monster, "release me, Lamia. We've done you no harm."

"Hungrrrrry…" she whined. Her voice was odd. It was low and unmistakably feminine, with rolled 'R's and the snakelike tendency to elongate. Yuffie could see a forked tongue and very sharp teeth as she spoke.

"Um…" Yuffie paused, put off by the creature's odd behavior. It didn't seem to be interested in them _as_ lunch, so… "I, ah… Have some jerky?" she offered uncertainly.

"Yessss! Pleassse!" she begged, fixing her gaze on Yuffie.

"Hold on a sec," Yuffie said, switching her Conformer to her left hand and using the unfettered hand to dig into her pack. _Shit! I left the main supply bag on Rikku! I've got money and emergency food in here, but…_ She cringed and pulled out ten thick strips of jerky. "Here," she said, holding the meat out guardedly.

Her arm was not torn from her sockets, however, as the creature took the meat. She lifted a strip to her mouth and savagely tore off a bite. "Thank you!" She said once she'd devoured two. She still hadn't released Vincent.

"May we leave now?" he asked, tugging again to test her grip. It remained solid.

"Not yet. Pleasssse… Ssstay and talk with me, cutie," she smiled at Vincent as she said this and fluttered her long eyelashes.

"Excuse me?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I think she's hittin' on ya, Vinnie," Yuffie grinned, enjoying his obvious discomfort. She might have felt jealous, but the sheer absurdity of the situation outweighed the unbidden emotion.

"And you!" the Lamia turned to Yuffie. "My new frrriend. I am Mahalah. You?"

"Um… Yuffie," she replied. Yuffie'd never been called 'friend' by a monster before. "And this is Vincent."

"Vinsssent!" Mahalah exclaimed delightedly. "You two arrre nissse. Everrrybody elssse runsss away. Won't even talk to me when I catch them. I neverrr hurrrt anyone." Her dark eyes were watering, and she took another bite of jerky. "I usssed to be beautiful. All the men wanted to talk to me! Then _he_ came, and I wasss thissssss!" She became angry, and Yuffie saw her grip tighten on Vincent. He was lucky she had his claw and not his hand.

"Um… he who?" Yuffie asked. Vincent had obviously decided to remain silent while the Lamia ranted.

"_He_… wasss an insssidiousssly evil man. Cute and ssslightly awkwarrrd, but it wasss a roussse! Fiona wasss lucky and did not ssstay with usss. I wasss foolish and now _look at me!_ I wasss _human! _I wasss not _thisss!_" She began to sob. "I am only forrrtunate that my parrrentsss are dead and cannot sssee theirrr daughterrr now!"

"You were most unfortunate," Vincent said, not entirely unkindly. "However my companion and I must hurry if we are to catch a ship to Mideel. We, too, seek an evil man who is responsible for such atrocities as those performed on you. It is like likely that he is the very same."

"You know wherrre he isss?" Mahalah asked, he face lighting. "Then go and get him. Make him pay! But… You will have to wait until tomorrrrrow. The lassst ship will have left by now." Yuffie repressed a grin. Now she could bask in the sun without Vincent's bitching. "Vinsssent… Yuffie… Pleassse… Be carrreful. And pleassse visssit me sssometime." Mahalah sounded so sad and lonely and hopeful that Yuffie found herself feeling a deep pity for her. She nodded.

Mahalah released her grip on Vincent and slithered back. "I'm sssorrry about yourrr chocobo. They don't like sssnakesss, it ssseemsss." She appeared to think a bit. "If you like, you can rrride me. I cannot go verrry clossse to the town, but I will take you farrr enough and fasssterrr than even the golden chocobo you had. It isss the leassst I can do." With these words, Mahalah stretched her long body and awaited the two somewhat bewildered future passengers.

Yuffie gave Vincent a quizzical look to which he nodded his affirmation. She placed herself as delicately on the serpentine woman as she could, leaning forward slightly to try and find a place to grip so as not to fall off. "Um…" Yuffie began, stumped. Vincent's arm wasn't helping much. Which gave her an idea… "Hey Vinnie, gimme your scarf."

Vincent reached up with his free hand and undid his headband, handing it to her silently. Yuffie leaned forward even more, causing Vincent to nearly crush her in the process, and managed to wrap the scarlet cloth around Mahalah's waist in a makeshift bridle. "Ready!" she called, bracing herself. _If Mahalah was telling the truth about her speed then this bit of cloth is goin' to be my new best friend **really **soon…_

Mahalah, it turned out, was true to her word. They shot off through the path, and Yuffie was nearly jerked from her spot despite her 'best friend'. Vincent's claw tightened around her waist, temporarily depriving her of breath, and his human hand gripped the scarf tightly.

Apart from the sudden jolt at the beginning, which probably could have been prevented if Mahalah had gained speed gradually rather than simply bolting, the ride was smooth. _In fact_, Yuffie noted as they cleared the rocky path and started through the grassy fields, _this's even smoother than Rikku! A bit more awkward, maybe, but it's **so** worth it!_

It seemed no time at all before the tourist trap town known as Costa del Sol was in sight. The sun glinted off the buildings in a most delightful way and Yuffie could almost feel the aura of trendiness the town emitted. Mahalah slowed to a stop.

"Thisss isss where we mussst parrrrt," she said as Yuffie and Vincent dismounted. "It wasss nissse meeting you both. Good luck with that bassstarrrd!" Mahalah waved her farewell as she slithered off back towards wherever it was she lived.

It wasn't long after their parting before Yuffie's forest green dress slipper took its first step onto the pale yellow brick walkway of Costa del Sol. Yuffie gave a great cheer, throwing her arms above her head and causing Vincent's hand to fling off to the right. _Geez. Vinnie's so damn tall!_ Yuffie noted, slightly miffed. After all, that meant that her own height (or lack thereof) was made even more obvious.

Her left hand was jerked down almost painfully as Vincent lowered his own arm and pressed onward. Yuffie flashed an embarrassed grin at the dark skinned information girl, who's dark eyes were wide at the odd scene the two were presenting, as she jogged to keep up with Vincent's quick strides. He finally stopped in front of Cloud's Villa, which Cloud had declared could be used by anyone in the group if they ever needed a place to stay. It made sense, considering the fact that they'd all pooled their gil to afford this place. It 'belonged' to Cloud only in name, and only because he was the leader. Vincent pulled a small golden key from the various recesses of his cloak and inserted it smoothly into the lock. The door creaked open, it's hinges in need of oil from the humid environment's detrimental effects on metal, and they stepped into the slightly dusty villa.

"Lookit this place," Yuffie said, running a finger over the surface of a vase full of dried flowers, "I mean, you'd think Cloud could hire someone to come in and _dust_ once in a while!"

"It would be pointless," Vincent said absently as he pulled her through the rooms of the house, "It is much more efficient and less expensive to simply clean up yourself. Also, you can rest assured knowing that none of the maids are stealing your possessions." He threw her a glance as he said this and Yuffie felt the blood rise to her face.

"Look here, you!" she began, scowling, "I'll have you know that everything I did was for a noble cause and- are you even listening to me!?" she glared up at him and noticed that he wasn't. "What are you doing, anyway?" she asked, her anger replaced with curiosity.

"I am checking to assure that no one has broken in and made their home here," he replied, heading down the stairs into the basement. Even this room was empty, the strange man who'd lived there before having obviously moved out. Satisfied, Vincent returned to the living room and removed the dust cover from the couch. He sank into the couch, and Yuffie sat beside him.

They hadn't rested long before Yuffie became restless. She sat up on her knees and leaned over to shake Vincent's shoulder gently to get his attention. "Vinnie!" she whined, schooling her face into the epitome of adorableness.

He simply stared at her. "No," he said flatly.

Yuffie pouted. "You didn't even hear what I was going to say!" she complained.

"Nor do I need to. It's obvious that you wish to do something pointless and annoying whilst I simply wish to rest." With that he turned his back to her, crossing his arms pointedly. Unfortunately, he'd forgotten the shackles. The force of his turn caused Yuffie to slam into his back, her arm thrown over him in an embrace. They both stiffened. Then Yuffie's cunning mind turned the awkward situation into an advantage. She trailed her fingers over his arm lightly.

"Well, Vinnie…" she said, her voice saccharinely sweet, "I see two options here," _is he… shivering? _She wondered as his arm twitched beneath her fingers. He did nothing to stop her so she continued. "One, we can do things _my _way and go out and get me a swimsuit and lounge on the beach. You can bring a book or something and enjoy the breeze while I thaw out my bones from all that cold weather. Or two, we can do things _your_ way and stay in here and be miserable and bored." She stopped her fingers' movements over his soft arm and swore she felt him let out a breath. She grinned to herself, pleased that she seemed to be able to invoke a reaction in the stoic gunman and at the same time felt a bit nervous-this _was_ a dangerous game to be playing.

He turned to look at her, his eyes glowing dangerously bright in the sunlit room. His face was dangerously serious as he considered her. Yuffie felt herself shrinking back and mentally kicked herself for being so daring. All at once, a ghostly smirk appeared on his pale face, barely detectable. "Well, we certainly cannot allow you to be _bored_, now can we?" his tone was joking, but Yuffie could detect some unknown emotion in his eyes and it made her uncomfortable. Instead of thinking about it, she instead seized on his words.

"You mean… we can go?" she asked incredulously. She hadn't seriously expected him to agree.

"I suppose I have little choice," he said, rising, "I don't wish to listen to your whining, and besides," he threw her a glance as she pulled herself up, "you become quite odd when you're bored."

Yuffie blushed and remained silent as they headed out the door. The warm, sunny Costa del Sol day hit her with more force than previously as she stepped out into it. She hid discreetly behind Vincent as they passed the materia vendor she'd once 'worked' for and let out a relieved sigh once they'd safely entered the shop.

Assorted objects of all shapes and sizes, colors and patterns lined the walls, and Yuffie reeled a bit before regaining her sense and focusing. A quick glance was all it took before she noticed the swimsuits and headed that direction. Vincent looked a bit impatient, so Yuffie set about her task as quickly as she could. It was as she was sifting through the various designs on the swimsuits that a problem she'd been toying with finally snapped into focus-How was she going to _change?_ She picked up a light blue bikini and considered the problem. The top would be the only issue, and this one had shoulder straps that tied in front so the swimsuit would be easy to get on. Taking the dress off would be the issue. She finally decided that she'd need scissors for this particular task, and set off to find some.

Procuring scissors had been easy. Now she faced the next issue-the act of changing while chained to Vincent. Fortunately, the store seemed relatively deserted and the changing rooms were in the back. She pulled Vincent inside the curtain and hoped nobody saw. He seemed slightly curious as to how she was going to accomplish this task, but had probably already figured it out. She threw him a look and he turned his face away and closed his eyes politely.

Yuffie began by cutting the seam of the left shoulder strap so that the dress fell easily to the floor. Now the only issue would be her bra. She looked down at the new black bra she'd purchased in the Golden Saucer. Like everything else there, it had been lacy and feminine; more seductive than functional, but was still the only thing serving to keep her developing bust from flopping around everywhere. _Well… No one'll **see **it… And it's not like I'm going swimming… _She opted to just wear the bra under the swimsuit. She'd need a bath later as well, but she'd burn that bridge when she came to it. For now, she tied the swimsuit's shoulder straps together and poked her head out of the curtain to check the area. It seemed just as empty now as when they'd first entered, so she swiftly pulled Vincent out behind her.

They made their way to the counter and she leaned over to face the girl working there. "I'd like to wear this out, please," Yuffie said, snapping the price tag off and placing it on the smooth wooden surface. The other girl shrugged and scanned it in. Yuffie looked around, grabbed a white beach towel, and tossed some gil down as well and walked back out into the sun once more.

She noticed Vincent's eyes on her and she did a half turn to face him. "So, whatdaya think, Vinnie?" she asked, winking and grinning as she struck a pose. "Speechless from my beauty?" she continued at his silence.

He raised an eyebrow at her and seemed to chuckle silently. "Chaos is weeping with joy," he responded dully and dragged her down the steps that led to the beach. Yuffie muttered obscenities about perverted demons to herself just loud enough for Vincent to hear but stopped as soon as her foot hit the sand.

The water, bright and blue, sparkled gloriously in the sun as the cerulean waves rolled in to meet the almost blindingly white sand. Yuffie sighed happily at the sight and set off to find a place to lay the towel. She settled on a place near the end of the beach handed Vincent a small bottle and presented her back to him.

"Vinnie, could you get my back please?" she asked sweetly. "I can't reach it well myself."

He paused for so long that Yuffie began to think that he'd refused. Then she felt the shackle pull her arm slightly behind her and the slick, cool lotion was applied to her back. He'd obviously pulled off his half-glove, and his hand was soft and gentle as it smoothed the lotion onto her skin. Yuffie shuddered and sighed lightly, and barely managed to contain her moan of disappointment when he was done.

"Thanks Vinnie!" she smiled happily at him and finished the rest herself. Then she lay back and began to bask in the sun.

* * *

Vincent looked up from his book and noticed that the sun was beginning to set. The sky, which had been a blindingly bright blue when he'd last looked to switch sides when Yuffie'd turned onto her stomach, was now a glowing orange streaked with pink. Vincent carefully placed a thin book-holder between the pages and returned the tome to his pack. Unlike Yuffie, Vincent carried his belongings with him rather then leaving them in the saddlebags of an erratic chocobo. He turned to Yuffie and began to shake her lightly. "Yuffie, wake up. It is time to return to the villa. Yuffie!"

She mumbled incoherently but looked up at him. "Huh…? Vinnie?" she pushed herself up and stretched. She glanced at her arms, probably to see if she'd tanned. Vincent didn't think she was much darker than earlier, but at least she hadn't burned. Vincent had also had to apply sunscreen to assure that his own dramatically pale skin hadn't fried. She gathered her things and they began their walk.

"So, how was your book, Vinnie?" Yuffie asked as they started up the stairs to the villa.

"Interesting," he replied, his mind returning to the neat scrawl that signified Mizu Koorime's handwriting. If he remembered right, it was her first book, a collection of Ancient folklore. Mostly it was a book of stories the Ancient's used to tell, with an aside of what they might symbolize and how they tied in to life. Vincent found that vampires seemed to be mentioned a lot.; yet there was very little in the book that was actually useful. Still, he found himself interested. He was shaken from his thoughts when he realized that Yuffie was leading him into the bathroom.

"Did you hear me?" she was asking, closing the door behind them. "We both need to clean off. We're sweaty and haven't had a bath in… well, a long time." she tilted her head at Vincent. "Although I have no idea how you're goin' to get that shirt off."

He shrugged and unbuckled his cloak, setting it haphazardly on the counter. He felt around the folds on his sleeve until Yuffie could see a tiny glimmer of metal. He pulled and the sleeve unzipped neatly. He repeated this on the other arm and unbuttoned the front, letting his shirt fall off his body completely. He noticed that she seemed a bit confused and he realized that, although she'd seen him remove his shirt before, she hadn't exactly paid attention to the technical process of it. He held up his large metal claw. "Normally I am not required to unzip the right sleeve," he explained, "But it is impossible to fit anything over this," he flexed the sharp metal of his left hand, "and so this shirt had to be specially made."

"Yeah… but…" Yuffie bit her bottom lip in thought, "Why a zipper on both arms?"

"Because I like things balanced," he replied. He stared at her. "Are you bathing first?"

"Huh?" she asked, obviously a bit thrown off at the moment.

"Unless you intended for us to bathe at the same time…?" he pressed, trying to make her hurry. It worked.

"Vinnie!" She said, shocked. "That was a joke, right!?" she glanced at him sideways and grinned. "Mind you, I realize that the idea of bathing with a cutie like me is too much to resist, but really!" She stood on tiptoe and reached up to pull his headband down securely over his eyes. "You just leave that there and _try_ to keep your hand to yerself, 'kay?" He heard the water running into the bath and the rustle of clothing.

The water stopped and Vincent felt himself being pulled to the floor as she settled herself into the tub. His hand was immersed in warm water as he tried to avoid touching anything beyond her arm. With his sight gone, his other senses were heightened beyond measure and he could hear every breath, feel every changing current in the air or water. The scent, Yuffie's eternal lily soap and the sea smell inherent of Costa del Sol air mixed and instilled him with a feeling of peace. He sat as comfortably as he could and tried to ignore the feel of skin against his hand.

**_Too bad about this headband_ **Chaos mumbled, his voice filled with what sounded like genuine regret. Vincent scowled.

_What are your designs on Yuffie?_ he asked, suspiciously. This question had been plaguing him since his first in-body possession. _Simple lust I could understand, you being what you are, but you show her undo interest. There are more beautiful women than Yuffie, yet you worst around her. Tell me your reason, demon._

**I was wondering when this question would arise **Chaos chuckled. **_She interests me, as she does you. We _are _connected, you and I, whether you like it or not. You desire her, I desire her. You deny it, I do not._**

Vincent could not deny his interest in the Wutaian ninja-to-be. He had, after all, kissed her of his own volition. It had been a quick way to shut her up, but it had been more. He'd been, he admitted it privately, jealous of Chaos who'd kissed her first. And the scent of blood from her shoulder had made him bold. Too bold. He remembered the taste, sweet and thick and so full of life and energy…

He shook his head. He'd noticed that he seemed to have a bit more control over that aspect of himself since that incident. But he knew he'd need another taste eventually. It was an addiction worse than any drug or alcohol could be. He just didn't know how long it would be take…

His hand brushed a particularly soft bit of Yuffie's skin and his attention was diverted. If Yuffie noticed she was remaining quiet. He heard her stand and felt the air stir as she reached for a towel to dry off with. There was another rustle of cloth as she dressed and he felt her lift the headband from his head.

"Glad to see you can control yourself, Vinnie," she said, grinning. She was dressed in one of the spare nightgowns, a light pink and very feminine style with satin ribbons that tied around the shoulders. "Yeah, that's why I picked it," she said, gesturing to the ribbons. "Your turn, Vinnie." She tied the headband around her own eyes and waited.

He started fresh water into the tub once hers had been drained, not liking to waste water yet too inherently neat to use used water. A bit self-consciously, despite the fact that Yuffie couldn't see, Vincent undid the double belts that secured his thin waist. He slid his feet smoothly from his long leather and metal boots and removed his pants and socks in one motion, twitching slightly when Yuffie's hand brushed his bare leg. He set his clothes carefully on the counter with his shirt and cloak and settled into the warm liquid. He felt his muscles relax almost instantly and let out a small smile.

He selected a small bottle of shampoo labeled 'Vincent' in his own spidery handwriting and dabbed a decent amount in his hand. This he massaged into his dark hair, almost managing to ignore Yuffie's semi-limp hand following his motions. The scent of rose was now almost drowning out the lily and sea of earlier as he began to apply his conditioner. He washed the rest of his body as he waited for the conditioner to set, trying to do as much of it as possible with his claw and not scratch himself. _Damn that girl for getting us in this situation!_ He thought darkly as he rinsed his long hair free of the last of the conditioner. He stood and reached for a dry towel.

_But she has been amusing, I suppose._ He amended as he wiped the water from his body. He reached into the cabinet above the counter and pulled down a spare pair of pants and underpants for himself. Once he slid these on, he turned to Yuffie and removed his headband. She blinked a bit in the light.

"So…" she said. He could see a deep blush to her cheeks and wondered what sort of things _she'd_ been thinking about. "What now?"

"Now," he said, gathering their clothes and heading for the basement, "We get these cleaned."

She followed him, humming some unknown tune softly as they descended the stairs to the washing machine. Vincent dumped the clothes in the machine and added the soap. These machines were truly a boon the traveler on the go. Not only did they clean the clothes but they would dry them as well, so Vincent would not have to come back down and change them as would have at the mansion in Nibelheim. _Now that I think about it, perhaps it is time to update there a bit…_

"Hey Vinnie, you planning on staying down here all night?" Yuffie asked, tapping him on the arm. He turned and shook his head, heading back up the stars. _Any moment now, she will complain of hunger…_

**_Three… _**Chaos intoned, **_Two…_**

"Vinnie, I'm hungry," Yuffie said.

"I know," Vincent replied, smirking privately as he headed for the kitchen. "If you can bear to wait, I shall prepare a meal for us."

Yuffie cheered and, with no other alternative, followed Vincent into the kitchen.

* * *

The meal had turned out excellently, despite Yuffie's attempts to help. It wasn't that she couldn't _cook, _it was just that she couldn't cook at Vincent's level. He was interesting to watch while cooking. His face was thoughtful and oddly serene, and occasionally he'd stop to ponder this or that ingredient. She kept picturing him wearing a goofy chef's hat and had nearly burst into giggles several times.

But now, clean yet fed, it was time to deal with the newest issue: sleeping arrangements. It wasn't a new issue, really, and they'd slept in the same bed before. Only there'd always been some sort of incident. She ran a brush through her short brown hair as they sat awkwardly on the bed.

Vincent was silent, as usual, knowing the dilemma yet obviously seeing there was no other way around it. He was polishing Death Penalty as best he could with her hand in his way. Yuffie finished brushing her hair and, bored, leaned over to brush his. He stopped his work on the gun.

"You don't have to stop," Yuffie said, trying to untangle a particularly bad knot in his silky hair. It was stubborn, but she won in the end. Vincent had not returned to his task.

Neither did he tell her to leave his hair alone, so Yuffie continued to combat the tangles that plagued his raven locks. Once she had his hair as straight as she could manage, she set thee brush aside and looked at his face. _Did… he fall asleep?_ she wondered incredulously. He seemed to have. His pale face was relaxed, his eyes closed and his breathing even. She pushed him backwards gently and he collapsed against the pillows without so much as a sound. Yuffie blinked. She ran a hand through his hair and looked from his peaceful face to the ebony locks and back. Then she giggled slightly and yawned, laying next to him as far as the chain would allow and closing her eyes.

End Chapter

Wow. This chapter was longer than I intended it to be. But I'm sure none of you are complaining, ne? Don't lose faith in me and my slow writing, I swear I shall finish this story! Because I HATE it when you get into the story and it's never finished, don't you? I'm just slow… (I say this because I've gotten a few emails asking me if I intend to finish this story) On another note, I'd like to hear your opinions on Vincent's actual age. I won't give my theory until the next chapter, but Bluejay got me thinking about the subject again. Also, I'd love to hear your theories on how Vincent's limit breaks work. For my story they're separate entities infused in him by Hojo and Cyrus, but how do **you **think they work? Mention it in emails or reviews, because these are the subjects that make Vincent so intriguing!

Kai


	20. Morning Reflections and Obstacles

First off, thank you all for waiting. Next, if you must know, I had an attack of writing fever at 5 a.m., so the first half of this chapter may or may not be a bit odd. Depends on how well I can take this early morning writing stuff. (The other half: i.e. Mizu, was written late at night.) And last, thank you all for your input. Good to know some of you pay attention to these author's notes!

Disclaimer!: ('Cause, y'know, I haven't disclaimed in a while) I don't own Final Fantasy, nor it's characters. This's all just for my sick thrills.

Ninja

20

Warm sunlight filtering through the window and the sweet song of birds woke Vincent more effectively than any alarm clock ever would. Both seemed unnatural and strange in the morning, but it was probably just a byproduct of having slept underground for so long. After all, he'd woken up to such things before, quite often when he was younger…

Vincent's early morning thoughts, moving as the always did down the road of regrets and bittersweet memories, were stopped short by the feel of warm flesh pressing against him and the realization that his arm was wrapped around a slender female body in a _most_ improper manner… He opened his eyes and started taking in the situation.

Yuffie was sprawled half atop him, her head nestled between his shoulder and his face, and quite probably drooling into his freshly cleaned hair. Her arm was thrown over his chest and one leg was wrapped rather intimately around his, and Vincent groaned mentally. Of all the possible problems compacted, Yuffie _would_ have to be a cuddly sleeper. Not that Vincent himself had been much better. He noted that his own arm, shackled as it was to the wrist not flung over him, had, of it's own accord, shaped itself to wrap around her waist.

Unable to find any alternative, he remained still and carefully pondered the situation. It was clear that (for now) his vampire part was uninterested in sating itself with her blood, so her jugular was safe. Apart from Chaos, who seemed to have switched off for the moment, there was nothing tainting his thoughts but himself.

He conceded that he didn't need the help of demons to help taint his thoughts after all. They were quite thoroughly impure by themselves at this point. Not that he'd act on them. After all, this was _Yuffie_. But there was the issue of what to do now. Yuffie had a variety of ways of reacting to situations, and Vincent was never sure which way it'd go.

Yuffie mumbled something under her breath and shifted, sighing against his ear. Vincent groaned silently and took a deep breath to calm his nerves. Memories of waking up next to Lucrecia like this flittered through his mind and he couldn't help but compare the feeling. The scientist had been softer, more fully curved, but there was a comforting feeling in Yuffie's slightness… He cursed mentally at himself and tried to drive the thoughts from his mind. It was bad enough he had… an interest… in the girl without comparing her to his old beloved.

His coffin. That's what he needed. As soon as this was over, Vincent resolved to leave Auron in the care of someone trustworthy and lock himself firmly and securely away in his old coffin for as long as it took to atone for these thoughts and… reactions… to the girl currently resting beside him. He had a feeling it might take awhile.

"Mmh… Vinnie…?" The slightly muffled and sleepy voice of Yuffie breathed against his ear. Vincent hid a private grimace. Yep. He'd be in that coffin a good long while. He felt her turn her head to look at him and turned to stare down into large storm-gray eyes. "Mornin' Vinnie," she mumbled, scratching her head with her unfettered hand. She looked deep in thought. "You know, I think this might be the first time I've woken up next to you without something odd happening…" she said, giving him a goofy smile. "It's kinda nice."

Vincent blinked. He was not sure what reaction he'd expected from the girl, but a silly smile had not figured into it. No blush upon realizing the… intimate placement of their bodies… no accusations of his perverseness (which, this morning, he fully deserved)… Just a goofy, half-conscious grin and her statement that this was… nice. Vincent mentally smacked himself- he was becoming _much_ too close to the girl. He decided to remain silent, focusing on the soft feel of her hand she absently traced small circles on his bare arm. He raised an eyebrow questioningly at her, wondering if she even realized what she was doing.

Yuffie blinked a few times in confusion before realization seemed to kick in. She jerked her hand back as if burned, her face coloring a dark red. Giggling nervously, the girl sat up. "Ah… Um. Sorry about that."

Vincent nodded his forgiveness and stood from the bed, vaguely regretting the loss of warmth and comfort she had given. He pushed the thoughts from his mind, refusing to examine them any closer. It would not do to form an unnecessary attachment to the girl.

**_A bit late for that, wouldn't you say?_**

_Chaos…_ Vincent thought dourly, annoyed. He knew it was only a matter of time.

**_Now, now, Vincent. That's no way to treat someone whose only thought is of your happiness._** The demon sounded incredibly amused.

_Oh? _Vincent raised an eyebrow, ignoring the strange looks Yuffie was throwing him. _You care only for your own perverse desires, demon._ He began walking towards the kitchen, dragging the confused ninja with him. _My -happiness-, as you put it, does not figure into it. _

He could almost _hear_ the smirk in Chaos's response. **_In this instance, it does indeed. Your desires are mine… sort of. And you've _****no right to talk to **me** of perverseness… Or can you really ascribe -that- to simple morning wood…?**

Vincent stopped suddenly, his eyes widening, and felt Yuffie slam into his back. He ignored her irate protest and began walking again, slower this time. Trust Chaos to call attention to his body's involuntary reaction when he'd nearly managed to ignore it. He scowled darkly as Chaos's laughter filled his head.

**_There, there, Vincent._** Chaos's voice took on the tone of a falsely sympathetic and condescending school teacher. **_No need to feel embarrassed. I know it's been awhile, so you may not remember. But don't worry- I'll help you out! Now, this's called an ere-_**

"I KNOW what it's called, damn you!" Vincent snarled his claw flexing convulsively. He was not aware that he'd spoken aloud until a large pair of worried blue-gray eyes filled his vision.

"Vinnie…? What the hell're you talking about?" Yuffie asked, clearly shaken. Vincent forced himself take a deep breath and relax, looking away from the girl who was, unknowingly, part of his problem. Deep in his mind, Chaos snickered.

"Forgive me. It's nothing," Vincent waved it off with his claw and continued his trek to the kitchen. He felt Yuffie resist at first but she soon fell into step beside him.

"Chaos, huh?" she asked, guessing the source of his foul mood. She snorted in disgust. "Ugh! Was he saying perverted stuff about me again? He is _such _a letch!" she ranted. Suddenly she grinned at him slyly. "A bit like you, actually," she mused. "You're just more private about it." She slapped him on the back and giggled, recalling the title she'd so jokingly given him previously. "Vin-nie the p-_erv_-!" she sang obliviously.

_If she only realized how right she is… _Vincent thought miserably, trying to push the impure thoughts from his mind. Yes- he would be in that coffin for a good long time it seemed.

* * *

Mizu sighed miserably, wondering what she'd done to offend the spirits so much that they had punished her thusly. She knew that at if things kept up at his pace she would _never_ reach Mideel in time to be of assistance to Yuffie and Vincent and she really, _really_ wanted to finish translating these books…

It had never occurred to the woman not to help. In fact, she'd been shocked and slightly horrified when Yuffie's friend Barret had asked her why she didn't just take the books and forget the energetic thief. After all, he'd said, Yuffie probably would do just that. But Mizu had shaken her head and refused to believe it. Yuffie seemed like such a nice person.

And besides, she was her friend. And you didn't abandon friends.

Barret had grinned and told her that he liked her attitude. He'd spoken fleetingly of a group that used to have that outlook. Something called AVALANCHE. He'd sounded sad when he mentioned it, and so Mizu had refrained from prying.

Mizu had been prepared to leave as soon as she had found the note in Cecil's pack, but a glance at Aileen had told her to wait. The child was exhausted from their time at the Gold Saucer and obviously needed a nap and a chance to bid farewell to Marlene. And so Mizu had ended up explaining the situation to Barret who hadn't seemed very surprised. And _then_, once Aileen had rested and finished saying her goodbyes and they'd finally been ready to leave, another diversion had presented itself, one of the hazards that came of living near a mako reactor. There had been a monster attack and the villagers needed help fending off the beasts.

Mizu was no fighter, but she hadn't needed to be. Barret had taken care of the threat no time at all, his strange gun-arm tearing holes through the small band of beasts effortlessly. However, there _had_ been a couple of serious injuries that had required her help, and she _was_ a decent healer. Nothing compared to her ancestors, but being a Cetra did have a few advantages. No one had died, and Aileen had helped out with minor cuts and bruises. It had, however, been time-consuming. And she'd returned to find, of all things, a frightened Rikku back in the chocobo stables.

So, fearing for the safety of her new friends- _Why was Rikku back without them? Why? **What had happened!?**_- she and Aileen had set out on Cecil at once, Rikku following behind. Mizu wasn't sure she wanted to attempt riding the smaller chocobo in its current state after her first impression in which the bird had thrown Yuffie. So she'd grabbed the bird's harness and led it along with them.

And now this.

Bandits. _Bandits! _In this day and age and here and now! They'd blocked her path and forced her to stop. Mizu was dangerously close to using a Bad Word. She could feel a headache forming as the leader motioned with his knife and approached her. She felt Aileen lean back against her.

"Miss Mizu…" she whispered, and Mizu could hear the fear in the girl's voice although she tried to hide it. The child was trembling. "Miss Mizu, these are bad men, right? L-like at home?" Mizu wondered at the statement. That this child who seemed so unafraid of the world held such clear terror of the bandit leader and his knife bothered her.

_She didn't fear the monsters._ Mizu recalled. She threw an arm around Aileen protectively

"Alright, lady," the bandit rasped, the knife glinting in the sun. He was a tall man; well muscled and solidly built. Scars lined his tanned skin, and a particularly nasty scar along his mouth gave him a sinister and ever-present sneer. The mismatched and rather torn clothes suggested that he and his men were obviously not doing well. He ran one hand impatiently through his brown, sweat-damp hair and waved for her to dismount the chocobo. Mizu hesitated.

"Look, lady," he said, obviously sensing her intention, "As fine a mount as that chocobo is, you won't make it. Not only would we have it full of Tranquilizers before it can so much as 'wark', but even if you _did_ get through…" He shrugged, grinning. "There's still the snake demon ahead. So I suggest that you an' the little lady hop on off of that chocobo and hand over any valuables you may be carryin'-our modest 'protection fee', you understand."

"P-protection fee?" Mizu asked incredulously. The audacity of this man! "Protection from _what,_ might I ask?" he voice was calm, but Mizu was getting angrier and angrier by the minute. She'd never been held up by bandits before, but this man was uncouth! Were they all like this? And he kept waving that blade around and scaring poor Aileen.

"Of course," he grinned infuriatingly. "For one, we're protecting you from the snake demon ahead. Secondly, we're protecting you from the evils of material wealth," the other bandits snickered at this, "And thirdly, we're protecting you from this knife right here. It'd certainly be a shame to have to use it on skin as nice as yours."

Aileen gave a violent shiver and Mizu frowned in concern. "Stop it!" she said, her voice rising distressfully. She leapt from Cecil's back even though Aileen protested and placed the child on the ground beside her. The small girl clutched Mizu's skirt for dear life, as if the Ancient would disappear if she were to let go.

The bandit smiled and nodded his approval. "I knew you'd see it my way. So that's… two golden chocobos… how much gil?"

Mizu pulled out her money pouch and dropped it into the man's outstretched hand. "There should be three hundred and fifty-two in there, and one-thousand more in the smaller saddlebag of the larger chocobo," she said quietly. The bandit seemed disappointed.

"That's it?" he asked suspiciously. "Not much for a lady with two _golden_ chocobos. But I guess the chocobos make up for that." His dark blue eyes glittered approvingly at the golden birds. "What else?" he demanded, gesturing to the packs. "Empty them."

"N-not much…" Mizu admitted, turning to Cecil and pulling the gil from the smaller pack. She handed it to him before moving to the larger pack and naming items as she removed them. "My rain cape… Food… Books…" _And I won't let you take those. _She added silently. _I'll fight if I have to._ "And paper."

"So basically useless junk," the bandit scoffed. "Keep it, lady. Half of us can't read anyways. What about that one?" he gestured to Rikku, and Mizu had an idea. She hid a small, mischievous smile.

"I don't know, sir," she replied honestly. "She's not mine. She belongs to my friend who came through here earlier." Mizu was struck by a sudden thought and she frowned. "Did… did you do something to her as well? And my other friend?"

The bandit raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about, lady? Nobody's been-"

"Um… sir?" one of the others stepped forward timidly, obviously not wanting to say what he had to say. "Actually, there _were_ two travelers that passed through earlier…" he gulped at the glare his leader directed on him and rushed on, "We didn't stop 'em because they were going so &#in' _fast_, sir! And they both looked like they were ready to kill somthin' and anyways that guy was _creepy_ lookin'! We think the snake demon got 'em. We saw the chocobo run back rider-less."

The leader sighed, clearly less than pleased with his men before turning a rueful grin to Mizu. "Well. Sorry, lady. Looks like we weren't able to, ah, _protect _your friends. Can't say for sure that the snake demon got 'em, but…" he shrugged, clearly unconcerned.

Mizu felt a pang of fear for Yuffie and Vincent, but pushed it aside. Somehow she _knew_ they were okay. But now…

"In any case, we might as well see what they left us, eh?" he grinned and approached Rikku, perceiving no threat from the smaller chocobo and signaled the other bandits to watch their captives. The one who'd given news of Yuffie and Vincent moved forward, brandishing a rusty looking short sword. Aileen pressed closer to Mizu, obviously liking this man even less than the leader.

There was an angry wark from Rikku, and suddenly all the bandits' eyes were on the chocobo. Mizu turned to see what was happening. The temperamental chocobo had taken offense to being approached by the stranger, and had liked it even less when he'd reached for her mistresses item bags. She'd warked angrily and knocked the surprised bandit to the ground. Now the furious bird was running around madly, and none of the tranquilizer darts were hitting the elusive target. Mizu seized the chance.

As swiftly as she could, she reached into one of her pockets and pulled out a can of pepper spray, aimed it at the face of the surprised bandit who'd grabbed her other arm in the confusion and pressed hard on the button. He cursed and dropped both her arm and his sword as he wiped his eyes vainly. Mizu wasted no time. She hauled the confused and now crying Aileen on Cecil and jumped up behind her, signaling for the large chocobo to run. And run he did, his powerful legs moving them faster than Mizu had even gone on a chocobo. Mizu risked a quick glance behind them.

Rikku had followed them, gaining rapidly. Behind her, the bandits were rallying and recovering from her confusion, quite a few of them even going so far as to try and run after them. Mizu barely heard the leader's command to stop being damn fools, and were they _really_ dense enough to think they stood a chance in hell of catching a golden chocobo? She saw him raise a hand to her in farewell and thought she saw a rueful grin cross his scarred mouth before she turned her attention back to the path ahead. She felt small arms wrap desperately around own arm and looked down into the tearful green eyes of Aileen.

"B-big sister…" Mizu's eyes widened, but Aileen pressed on, "My big sister… Back home, she… Those men… and knives…" Aileen hiccupped and took a deep breath. "Miss Mizu… you were so brave! I wish… I wish my big sister had had Rikku to help her like we did…"

The flame-haired Ancient closed her eyes, repressing the pain she felt. Had this poor child had to witness a similar event with a not-so-fortunate ending? She stroked the girl's auburn hair tenderly in an attempt to calm the child. "Sh…" she soothed. "You don't have to talk about it, Aileen. I understand if it hurts too much."

Aileen nodded. "O-only Miss Adri knows besides you now," she said, wiping her eyes and turning to look off ahead. "'Cause Miss Adri helped me. She and Mister Vic."

Mizu said nothing, attempting to make sense of this information. From what she'd heard, Adri and Vic were kidnappers and the semi-enemies of her friends. But Aileen said that they'd helped her and saved her from what was most likely a painful death. Too late for her big sister, it seemed, but… She shook her head, adjusting her glasses. It was too confusing for her. She decided to stick with translations. Those, at least, were easy to figure out. _Well, easier than this, _she amended.

"Miss Mizu?" came the quiet voice of the small girl. She sounded like she'd been thinking deeply about something.

"Yes?"

"Would… would you be my new big sister?" she sounded shy.

Mizu blinked in surprise and felt herself blushing in pleased amazement. "O-of course I will!" she said, smiling. She wrapped her arms around her new 'little sister' and rested her cheek on the girl's head.

"Thank you, big sister Mizu," Aileen whispered happily as the chocobos continued down the rocky path. Neither girl noticed Rikku's nervousness nor Cecil's increased pace.

And in their wake, chewing forlornly on a strip of jerky, a serpentine woman watched them pass by from the shadows of the brush, too tired to stop them to talk. After all, she'd recently taken two other humans on a long trip to her home and had no desire to make that trip again. She closed her shining black eyes and slept.

End Chapter

Sorry for the late update, folks! I had **no** ideas for this chapter for the longest time. And the bandits? Totally left field! Before I knew it: POOF! Bandits! I **was **gonna have them meet Mahalah, but… Shrugs oh well. Watcha think?

Kai


	21. Ships and Quicksand

_(Que victorious fanfare) I... have... returned! Man, I can't believe anyone still **reads** this... But a promise is a promise, and even though I lost my inspiration for this for a while, I **am** going to finish. So here's for those of you who're still waiting to see what's next._

**Ninja**

21

Yuffie moaned, her stomach threatening to empty itself once again as she stared over the side of the ship into the cerulean waters below. She tried to comfort herself with the knowledge that they were almost to Mideel, but then the ship rocked yet again and a new wave of nausea overcame her. "Uggghhhh..."

Beside her, Vincent was leaning against the railing and reading a book as if to pretend he didn't know her, despite his other hand still being quite soundly shackled to hers. Fortunately for the both of them, neither the sailors nor the other passengers dared to come close, intimidated both by Vincent's mere presence and the awful noises that the seasick girl was making, so they'd been spared still more grief about their odd predicament.

"Ngh... Vinnie... are we there yet...?" She mumbled for the twentieth time in the past hour. Or maybe two hours. Yuffie's grasp of time had deteriorated with the pain in her gut, and she really didn't care how long it had been in any case, so long as it wasn't much longer.

Vincent looked up from his book and slowly gazed around, face neutral aside from a slight rise to one of his eyebrows. "...Were we not bound together, I would tell you to hop off this vessel and check. But seeing as that is not in my best interest at the moment: no, we are not there yet." He managed to mark his place with one hand in a manner that would have been _much_ more interesting to Yuffie had she not been in such pain, and tilted his head to a spot towards the front of the ship. "However, I do believe I see land ahead."

Yuffie began to cheer up considerably, spirits lifting in a way that prevented her from reaching out to smack him irritably, though she was still tempted for his earlier comment. "Really? Thank gawd..." She lifted her head and followed his gaze. Ahead she could make out the distant lush green of the island of Mideel, a sight she welcomed more than the rarest materia on the planet. "So we'll get there in..." She tried to calculate the distance, but gave it up as hopeless as her stomach did another flip.

"Ten minutes is my estimate," he filled in for her, sliding the book into one of the pockets in the inner lining of his crimson cape. "Twenty or so to dock and get us all off board."

"Twenty... Ugh... Can't we just jump overboard once we get close enough...? I _need_ off..." She squeezed her eyes closed, voice rising into a whine. She cursed her motion sickness yet again silently.

"You'll live." he replied, in an obvious "no" to her pleading. Yuffie grumbled and wondered absently if she should do it anyway, but decided against it on the principle that she probably wasn't heavy enough to cause him to join her overboard, and didn't feel like dangling painfully from his arm over the side on the ship where people on land were certain to see her as she waited for him to haul her back up.

Despite her impatience and terrible illness, Yuffie had to concede that it didn't take all that long before they had let her off the ship. The fact that she was shackled to Vincent was all that had kept her from throwing herself on the blessed, still ground and kissing it in relief. Not that she hadn't still attempted it.

In fact, she had been so happy, she hadn't even complained very much as Vincent pulled her along into the town.

Yuffie looked around, taking in the changes that Mideel had undergone since the attack by Weapon as she walked next to him, waiting for her stomach to settle. They had been quicker to start repairs than Corel had, but then again, she supposed it had been easier to procure both the materials and money here. The hot springs were now world-famous and attracted many tourists, while the jungle surrounding the town provided plenty of lumber for reconstruction. Yuffie was looking foreward to seeing just how good said hot springs were. _I mean, after all... I **owe** it to myself after all the crap I've been through recently..._

Her thoughts must've shown on her face, because she heard Vincent's deep voice laced with partial annoyance next to her. "We aren't here to play, Yuffie."

"Wha...? I didn't even _say _anything yet!" She huffed indignantly, glancing over at him from the corner of her eyes.

"True. However, I am well aware of what you are thinking, and my answer is no."

She pouted slightly before latching onto his arm, blinking her large stormy blue eyes up at him adorably and thinking it probably would have been a slight less awkward if the movement hadn't caused the arm in question to rise up at the elbow, his hand practically cupping one of her breasts. She fought off the immediate blush and tried to pretend she didn't notice, hoping to Leviathan that Vincent didn't. "C'mon... Pleeeaaasssseeeee...?"

He arched an eyebrow and looked down at her, garnet eyes trailing down to the awkward positioning of his hand, fingers twitching slightly as if he was seriously considering feeling her up. He smirked lightly. "I didn't realize you were willing to resort to such methods of persuasion, Yuffie. Especially not in the middle of town." She blushed and spluttered, but he cut her off smoothly. "However, even if I had any interest in delaying my search for Cyrus a moment longer than necessary to give in to your request, the fact remains that we couldn't enter the hot springs as we are. Unless, of course, there is a mixed gender area."

Yuffie turned a slightly deeper shade of red as she thought about that. Images rose unbidden to her mind, of a very undressed Vincent soaking next to her in the hot springs, warm water dripping down his muscular chest in ways that made her want to trace after the droplets with her finger. _Mmm... That doesn't sound bad at... ah, cut it out, Yuffie!_

The eyebrow raised a bit higher as he watched her face, and she found herself panicking for a brief moment, almost certain he'd read her thoughts. _Couldn't put it past him, with all of the other strange things going on with him..._

"Uh..." She cleared her throat, trying to quell the blush, aware that he was waiting for her response. He looked entirely too amused in her opinion. "Y-yeah... I guess yer right..." She coughed slightly and lowered her arms, body heating up a bit as his hand slid back down her chest to its rightful place by his side. "So! Um... what's the plan, Vinnie?"

He looked around the town, eyes trailing over the buildings. "First, we should reserve a room at the Inn. From there, we can go about our search."

"Makes sense... Do we have enough gil with us, though? I mean... I'm kinda runnin' low, since most of mine was in Rikki's saddlebag..." She patted the pack tied around her hips in emphasis, the small amount of gil she had left jingling somewhat pathetically. "Not to mention we're gonna need new supplies and stuff."

Vincent started walking toward the cheaper looking of the Inns, not seeming very perturbed by their lack of funds. "I have enough with me to last us long enough, provided we do not spend it on frivolous things."

"...So until then, it's cheap shelter and cheaper food, right? Just perfect..." She sighed. _Then again, I guess I'm used to it by now... _"Anyways, that stuff aside... just how're we gonna search? Walk up to some random person and say 'Heya! Know where we might find some sorta suspicious lab-lookin' thingy?'"

"Of course not. We shall simply ask whether or not anyone matching Cyrus or his companions' descriptions has been seen around town, or if there are any strange buildings in the area. One would assume that they have to visit for supplies at one point or another." He pulled open the door to the Inn, which could have used some oiling in Yuffie's opinion, because there was a long, loud creak as it moved. She stepped in with him, looking around the rather run-down interior, already missing the beds of the Villa and Professor Gast's house.

"So..." She continued once Vincent had paid for their room, testing out the feel of the bed. This made the ones in the Nibelheim mansion seem heavenly in comparison. "If nobody knows anything? What then, oh great and wise leader?"

He shrugged slightly. "Then we rent a chocobo and begin searching the island ourselves. If that is still futile, we secure a skiff and begin searching the smaller surrounding islands."

She groaned. "Ugh... Man, that could take for_ev_er..."

"Indeed." He nodded solemnly, brushing a long strand of hair from his face with his claw. "Let us hope it does not come to that."

"Well... let's get started..." She stood back up, wondering if it wouldn't be more comfortable to sleep standing up later. "Information and stuff first, right?"

He simply nodded, heading back out the door, pulling Yuffie along with him. _Man, I gotta take another shot at pickin' these damn locks..._

* * *

"Watch where yer goin', lady!" 

Mizu jumped, stuttering her apologies to the man though he had been the one to nearly run into _her._ She had never been to Costa del Sol, but so far she wasn't enjoying her visit. It was pretty enough, beautiful, actually, with its clean-swept streets and stonework that was both simple yet pleasing and the sound of the waves in the distance was lovely, but Mizu could not find herself very interested at all in staying any longer than necessary. In her opinion, it was both too hot and too humid, and the _people_...

She wasn't much of a people person. The flame-haired Ancient much preferred ancient civilizations to the kind that were still around, and the people here were much too rude for her tastes. The men were giving her creepy looks... for that matter, many of the _women_ were giving her similar looks, and at least three had tried to entice her into the bar for who-knows-what. The ones who weren't interested in getting her drunk wouldn't even give her the time of day, even when she politely asked where she could purchase a ticket to Mideel.

She looked down at Aileen. The little girl was _loving_ it. She ran around the docks, examining this and that, nearly tripping over her long pink dress in her excitement.

"Big sister, look at that! That's a biiiiiig boat, isn't it?" She smiled up at her and tugged on the cloth of her dark green dress. "Is that the one we're going to ride on?"

Mizu looked up, one hand moving up to shield her eyes from the exceedingly bright Costa del Sol sun. "I... well, maybe..." She was already feeling a little nervous. She didn't get motion sickness, but just the thought of standing up on the deck of such a tall ship was enough to set her on edge. She looked around until finding a person who looked as if he might work on the ship in question and walked over to him. "Excuse me..."

He cut her off with a gesture, writing something down on a clipboard before looking up at her. "Yeah?"

"Um... Is this ship heading for Mideel by any chance...?" She shifted nervously, wringing her hands together. The crowded docks were starting to get to her.

"This one right here?" He motioned to the large vessel behind him and nodded. "Aye, settin' sail in an hour or so. Headed for the hotsprings? I'll sell ya yer tickets. How many?"

"U-um... One for myself, and Aileen..." she pointed to the little girl, who grinned adorably and waved at the sailor, "...and two chocobos."

He nodded, making a few notes on the clipboard. "Adult, child, two chocos... Five hundred and sixty five gil." He held out his hand.

That was a bit pricey in Mizu's opinion, but then again chocobos tended to raise the price on pretty much anything, and she'd never sailed quite such a distance before. Much less to a resort town. She pulled out her money and set it in his waiting hand.

"Thank you, ma'am. Here're yer tickets," he placed the gil in a pouch and handed her four tickets, "Have fun."

"Ah..." She started to thank him, only to be cut off by the over-excited and somewhat hyper little girl beside her.

"We will! Thank you, mister!" She grinned widely, and pulled her towards the ship. "Come on, big sister Mizu! Let's go on the boat!"

"Y-yes..." She smiled slightly, mentally prepping herself for boarding the ship. In an hour, they would be on their way to Mideel. And, hopefully, those unfinished translations.

* * *

"Vin_nie_, I'm _tired_ of this...! Can we do somethin' _else_ now?" Yuffie asked, trudging along beside the sullen gunman. They'd been walking around asking for the whereabouts of Cyrus and his group for hours with absolutely no results, and her feet were starting to hurt. That, and she was getting damn tired of hearing people wondering, not very discreetly, either, whether or not she and Vincent were the victims of a perverse sex game gone wrong. 

"And what do you suggest?" he asked, sounding weary. Apparently he was just as tired of this as she was.

"Well... Let's do some supply shopping. I kinda remember somethin' about my gettin' a discount here..." Yuffie _never_ forgot when she was able to get something for cheap. In fact, buying discounted items sounded so good, she felt her spirits beginning to rise already. She glanced over at Vincent to gauge his reaction.

He looked up at the sky, the faintest traces of orange beginning to appear amidst the blue in the beginning of sunset and nodded his consent. After all, it wouldn't do to be unprepared, and he'd made it sound as if they were very low on gil indeed. The possibility of reduced prices was probably a welcome thought to him as well.

She pulled him along with her in search of the item shop, scanning the signs above the various doorways. They had passed it earlier, she recalled, and she was fairly certain it had been somewhere in this general area. _Weapons... more souvenirs... damn town has more souvenir shops than Wutai... Ah... _"Jake's item shop, huh...?" She grinned proudly upon having found the shop again and pulled Vincent to the door with her. "Heh, well, hope Jake's ready for -me-, because... Hey, what's the big idea? The door's locked!" She frowned and tried pulling on the handle yet again, but the door remained just as locked as it had been the first time.

Vincent glanced at the sign in the window and she was almost certain she saw him roll his eyes. "Yuffie, the door will not magically unlock simply because you keep making a fool of yourself. The sign says that the proprietor of this shop is away gathering ingredients for his medicines. We shall simply try back again tomorrow." He started to walk away from the shop slowly, tugging his arm and causing her to jerk backwards a bit.

"Ack... Fine. Stupid door." She kicked it at the same time Vincent had tugged her foreward, causing the hapless ninja to lose her balance. She reached out and grabbed the nearest available object for support. In this case, that object happened to be Vincent's cape. She gripped the crimson fabric tightly and wobbled a bit, nearly pulling both of them down to the dusty ground.

He straightened himself, regaining his own balance much more quickly than Yuffie herself could manage, and shot her a withering glance of annoyance. Yuffie noted that his eyes were already starting to glow faintly in the approaching sunset, and concentrated on his boots, grumbling. "Don't gotta pull me like that..."

"Forgive me. I had not expected you to assault the door," He sounded somewhat amused despite having nearly been thrown to the ground, and Yuffie perked up slightly, glad he wasn't as mad as he'd looked. "Now... do you plan on releasing my cape?"

"Eh?" She glanced to her hands, which still held the flowing garment tightly and blushed a bit, dropping it. "Ah, right... Just gettin' my balance back. Besides, it doesn't really matter, does it? Not like I'm holdin' ya back or anything." She grinned and brushed her bangs aside, where they fell neatly into place once again.

Vincent opened his mouth to reply, but whatever it was he'd been about to say was cut off abruptly as a small figure rushed up to them from out of the trees not far from the item shop. Yuffie barely had time to register short brown hair and wide blue eyes before the thing slammed into her, nearly sending all three of them down yet again. Had it not been for Vincent anticipating the impact, Yuffie was almost certain that she _would_ have fallen over this time. She looked down in shock and tried to make sense of the situation.

"P-please, lady, you gotta help me!" the boy looked up, and Yuffie was a bit annoyed that he hadn't even bothered with an apology. She noted that the kid didn't look much older than Aileen. What he _did_ look like, though, was a _lot_ dirtier. Leaves and various plants from the jungle stuck to clothes that looked in poor repair, and she noticed quite a bit of sand on him.

"Whadaya mean, 'I gotta help you'? I don't -gotta- do nothing! You didn't even apologize fer almost knockin' me on my ass!" She growled, glaring angrily at the boy.

"I-I'm sorry, but I really need help!" He tugged on her shorts, sky blue eyes wide and full of fear. "It's not for me, but my dad, you see? He fell into some quicksand, and I don't know how long he can hold on to that vine before it snaps, you see? Please please _please,_ lady, mister, I'm begging you! We'll give you free items from our store! Just help me!"

Yuffie's eyes lit up upon hearing one of her favorite words in all of existence. _Free_. Free beat discounts _every time._ She placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, nodding. "Of _course_ we'll help!" She pointedly ignored the raising of Vincent's eyebrow at her abrupt change in attitude and continued. "Don't you worry, kid, because Yuffie Kisaragi and her side-kick, Vinnie, are on the job! Lead us to that poor man!"

"Side-kick...?"

"Oh, _thank_ you, lady! Thank you _so _much! This way!" He turned and ran off into the jungle from whence he'd came, voice overflowing with relief.

"I'm not sure I like being referred to as..."

"No time, Vinnie!" She cut him off by running after the child and into the thick green leaves of the jungle plants, careful not to lose sight of him. It was difficult, since the lighting was becoming progressively poorer and the urchin's clothes already tended to blend in with the surrounding area. Only Yuffie's keen senses and training kept her from losing track of him, though she reflected that if she _had_ gotten off track, Vincent would probably steer her back on course. But she didn't really want to have him feeling any more smug about his superior abilities than he already did. At least, he did in _her _opinion.

The boy finally stopped in a slight clearing, veering off to the right. "Dad! Dad! I brought help, you see? We're gonna get you outta there!" He turned to Yuffie and Vincent, pointing to the ground. Yuffie came to a stop, assessing the situation.

A man who was _clearly_ the boy's father (either that or the kid was the guy's clone, they both had brown hair of the exact same hue, though the man's eyes looked to be a darker shade of blue) was nearly chest deep in quicksand and slowly sinking lower. He clutched a vine for dear life, though Yuffie noted that it wouldn't be long before the makeshift lifeline tore away from the tree it was attached to.

"A-ah... Yes, good work, Josh! Didn't doubt you for a minute, you know!" He smiled reassuringly at his son before turning his gaze to Yuffie and Vincent. "Thank you..."

She nodded and walked around the pit to the vine, careful not to become trapped herself. Josh made a move as if to follow, but Vincent stopped him. "Stay over there. We do not wish to rescue the both of you."

"Oh... Right. Sorry..." He looked down, crestfallen, and Yuffie felt a little bit sorry for him. She pushed the thought aside and grabbed the vine, feeling her body heat up slightly as Vincent grabbed it as well, leaning against her, his hands right next to hers.

_Ah, bad time to think those thoughts again, Yuffie... Focus! _She shook her head slightly and called over to the remarkably calm item-shop owner. "Okay! Vinnie and I're gonna pull... You try and pull yerself out as we do, okay?"

"Alright...!" He looped the vine yet once more around his arm and signaled that he was ready.

"And... _HEAVE_!" She pulled with all her might, and noticed that the man was rising from the quicksand quite a bit more rapidly than she'd anticipated. It was then that she noticed that Vincent seemed to be pulling most of the weight, and she found herself feeling just a bit annoyed. She had the sneaking suspicion that she could stop and it wouldn't make the slightest bit of difference. She didn't stop, however. She had to at least _pretend_ that she was doing something useful, damnit.

Within a few minutes, the man was out of the pit and on firm ground, taking deep breaths and absently wiping sand from his clothes. Yuffie noted that his clothes were every bit as poorly mended as Josh's, and while the quicksand may have been partially to blame, she suspected that they hadn't been very much better beforehand. He stood up.

"Oh, I simply can't thank you enough for your help... I thought I was a goner that time for sure, you know?" He smiled warmly, and Yuffie couldn't quite get over how very... plain he looked. He and his son, and come to think of it, the old man at the Icicle Inn item shop had to have been the least conspicuous people she'd ever seen. The type you typically didn't even bother asking for directions. She wondered if anyone had ever mentioned it to them. "My name is Jake, and I run the item shop in town, you know? You two look like adventurers... I know it's not much of a repayment, but please stop by tomorrow and help yourselves to some supplies..."

"You are most gracious. My companion and I will indeed pay you a visit tomorrow." Vincent said, stopping Yuffie before she could get so much as a word in edgewise. "But I believe we should _all_ be heading back to civilization before nightfall. I've no wish to be in the jungle at night."

"Ah, yes, a wise decision. It's a very dangerous place, even during the day you know..." He took Josh's hand and the two followed behind them, the four returning to town as one group. They parted ways with one last round of 'thank you's from the two shopkeepers, and Yuffie found herself following Vincent back to the shoddy excuse for an Inn.

They entered and headed straight for their room, pausing at the door only long enough for Vincent to open it and close it, turning the key securely in the lock. It was now time for the part of the day Yuffie found herself least looking foreward to.

Only she didn't find herself dreading it as much as she had the last few times. In fact, she'd woken up rather pleasantly earlier, and as long as Vincent kept his fangs to himself again, she thought it wouldn't be bad at all. She glanced over at him.

If Yuffie was becoming more comfortable with sleeping in the same bed as Vincent, then the expression on his face was enough to tell her that _he_ seemed to feel the exact opposite. The previous times, he'd looked rather uncaring. Now, as he sat on the bed and took out his Death Penalty for its nightly polish, Yuffie thought she saw the faintest flicker of unrest in his eyes. She tilted her head slightly, raising an eyebrow as his gaze flickered over to her and his tongue ran briefly along his lips to dampen them.

"Heh, just get in the room and yer already thinkin' naughty thoughts?" She leans back on her free hand, the fingertips of her left hand brushing against his leg lightly every time he moved the polishing cloth along the smooth metal of his gun. Yuffie had to admit that the contact wasn't exactly making her _own_ thoughts any purer.

"...Perhaps," he tilted his head towards her ever so slightly, the look of apprehension now replaced by cool indifference that belied his amusement when a light blush formed on her face. He set the now-shining gun away but didn't move his hand from the spot it had rested afterwards, so that Yuffie's hand remained on his leg.

She shifted a bit, not sure whether the source of her discomfort was the bed or the fact that her hand was pretty much in Vincent's lap. She decided it was probably a combination of the two. _Gotta think of somethin' else... get him to move our hands... _"So... all done with your gun... I guess it's bedtime now?"

He nodded, laying down slowly so as to give Yuffie time to maneuver next to him on the bed. To her slight dismay, he rested his hand on his stomach, and Yuffie could feel the slow rhythm of his breathing. _Maybe a bit **too** slow... _She shifted her hand slightly to at least make it a bit more comfortable, and smiled slightly as she felt his breath catch for a split second as it moved just a little bit lower than she'd wanted. She hadn't touched anything _major_... Though she was starting to wonder what he might do if she _did_...

"Egh... Starting to think like that damn Chaos..." she mumbled to herself, not aware she'd spoken aloud until she heard Vincent's voice next to her, sounded rather somewhat amused and interested at the same time.

"Oh...? Chaos wants you to know, you're to feel free to act on those thoughts at any time." Yuffie couldn't quite tell if he was holding back a chuckle or not, but she could practically envision the smirk on his face.

"Hmm... Is it you or Chaos who wants me to, I wonder?" She grinned slightly, tone light as an obvious joke. She felt Vincent shift slightly, and glimpsed the soft red glow of his eyes in her peripheral vision. They never left her, even as her eyelids grew heavy and sleep began to claim her.

His answer never came.

**End Chapter**

_And there you have it! First chapter in, what, 2 years? I sort of forgot where I was going with this, but the ideas that are flowing through me now are **much** better, I'm sure of that much. For any of you still reading... another thank you for all of your patience and continued support. _

_Kai_


	22. Breaking Bonds

_~ Hi-hi everyone! Throughout the week I may be making little changes here and there to the beginning chapters. No major plot changes, mostly just reformatting to how I originally intended it to look, with the italics instead of the {...} for thoughts, and so on. Also fixing my annoying old habit of 'otaku speak', since I don't use it very much anymore, and I feel it detracts from the overall story. I'm leaving the ^%#* in for major expletives, though, in light of the game doing it. Sorry for the major MAJOR time lapse. I will try and update more quickly from now on. In fact, number 23 is already started. ~_

~*~Ninja~*~

22

The sun shone brightly upon the large and verdant jungles of Mideel, casting a soft and nearly greenish light upon the town below, the lush and rather exotic scents of the plant life flowing along the breeze. It mixed in with the scent of the nearby sea and the hot springs of which the town was so famous for and created a glorious atmosphere of relaxation for the inhabitants. However, none of this impressed Yuffie in the slightest. All she could focus on was the fact that it was _hot_, and it was _humid_, and bugs were _everywhere_. She smacked another mosquito that she swore was the size of a baseball, swearing loudly.

"GAWD the bugs here are killing me!" She fumed, stomping angrily at the ground and crossing her arms. Or rather, she would have, were she not still cuffed to her companion, instead only succeeding in flinging his arm to her chest.

Vincent seemed to ignore where his arm had landed, although Yuffie swore she saw his hand twitch slightly. "I fail to see what you want me to do about that."

"I dunno, scare 'em off or somethin'! Maybe shoot 'em if they get too close, you gotta be good fer somethin' other than just hangin' off my arm." She shot him a sideways glance, her voice teasing.

"Hm," He seemed to ponder her words, a slight smirk creeping upon his too pale face. "I suppose. However, I was under the impression that a ninja of your caliber did not require such protection."

"Wha... Dang it, Vinnie, bugs are different! They're..."

"Easily dealt with by local repellants made by the shops here, one of which offered us free provisions?" He sounded entirely too amused at her suffering for her tastes, however he'd used her favorite word in the entire world and therefore was forgiven his transgression.

"Oh yeah! That's right, isn't it? Free stuff here I come!" She cheered as she tugged him along the road to Jake's Item Shop, fully intending to make good on his promise. After all, she _had _saved his life. _Though I __**guess **__Vinnie helped a little..._

Jake's Item Shop, as the sign labeled it, was quite the interesting store, to say the very least of it. Jars of unidentifiable substance and origin littered the shelved walls, jumbled along with bowls of thick pastes and powders of every conceivable color. She had expected a place like this to smell quite strange, with the assortment of concoctions, however, he noted it smelled vaguely like a tea shop instead. She looked around, no Jake or his little clone in sight.

"Hello!? Hey it's me, Yuffie, girl that saved yer life!" At Vincent's somewhat bemused look, she added: "Oh, yeah, and my sidekick Vinnie."

"...I told you I do not-"

"YUFFIE!" Vincent's mild protest at being labeled her 'sidekick' was cut off abruptly by a blur of brown and blue as a young boy threw himself at the young ninja, nearly knocking her back. In fact she would indeed have hit the floor, had Vincent not seen this sudden attack of gratitude and braced her by sliding his hand to support her back, his unnatural strength keeping her upright, even though it bent her arm just a bit uncomfortably.

"WHOA there, kid! Gah!" She leaned back against the hand that supported her, quite grateful for it, as having had not only this bundle of energy but also Vincent as well having toppled onto her was not how she wanted her morning to go. "Uh, it's Jake, right?"

"Yes ma'am!" The unfortunately plain Jake replied, a large grin plastering his slightly dirty face. "I was just waiting for you to come back! You're my biggest hero, you see!"

"Ow," She pushed him back off of her a bit so she could straighten her arm out again, the metal of the cuff beginning to bite into her skin there. "Yeah, that's me! The great hero of the Planet, Yuffie Kisaragi!" She grinned at him, her ego swelling at having such an enthusiastic fan, plain and grubby though he was. She pointedly ignored Vincent's gaze on her.

"Oh yes! I bet you're a super-cool ninja hero, too, you know! You've got all those neat ninja-y things, you know? Oh wow, I gotta tell my dad you're here!" The boy rushed off to find his rather absentminded father, at least from Yuffie's impression of him. _Really, to have been in his profession for as probably long as he has been and still fall into damn quicksand..._

"He's a smart boy," She told Vincent, grinning widely. "Definitely knows his super-cool ninja heroes."

He looked almost ready to roll his eyes at her, though instead simply sighed. "Do not forget why we are here in Mideel, Yuffie."

"What, you mean it's not fer a romantic get-away of just the two of us and our kinky bondage games?" She shook her arm, the chain clinking together as she gave him a sly glance. She was rewarded by his face coloring very slightly.

His flustered response to her was cut off, however, as the shopkeeper walked into the room, absolutely beaming at them. "Why hello there, heroes!" He smiled. "I am quite glad you stopped by, you know! Goodness but you look like the bugs have simply eaten you alive, Miss! If I could offer you some salve..."

Yuffie looked around at the strange jars and the even stranger pastes and wondered if the bugs were really all that bad. Then she saw one of the massive mosquitos hovering about outside the grungy window, casting its ominous and, dare she say, even _insidious _shadow against the glass and nodded quickly. "I would love it, definitely."

"Oh how wonderful! I made a fresh jar of it this morning, you know!" He grabbed up a jar from the shelf and handed it to her, thankfully one of the less frightening concoctions. In fact, it looked quite a bit like harmless lotion. Yuffie breathed a sigh of relief as she took it.

"Thanks," She slid it all over her exposed body, which was quite a bit of skin indeed, feeling Vincent's gaze on her the entire time. In fact, he'd been looking at her a lot since the night before, and she wasn't sure his interest was completely platonic, either. She ignored it for the moment in the interest of mixed company, but she was _so _calling him on it later.

"Whew! That stuff smells pretty good, you want some, Vinnie?" She proffered him the jar, grinning.

"I have no need of it. The bugs do not seem interested in me." He flipped his long ebon hair cooly, in a way that rather annoyed her.

"Not like yer showin' any skin for 'em to get to..." Indeed, the gunman was wearing the same outfit he always wore, despite the fact that it must have been two-hundred degrees, at least according to Yuffie's internal thermometer.

"Mm, I suppose not." He agreed, saying no more on the subject. Yuffie sighed.

"Anyways, about those free supplies..."

They spent several minutes indeed with Yuffie zipping around the store and having Jake explain what, exactly, everything was and if it was useful. She learned that quite a bit of the more disgusting jars were catalysts for creating more powerful versions of other potions, and wasn't sure she liked the idea of having gulped that kind of goop down when knocking back an X-potion, but results were hard to argue with. Vincent kept her from simply cleaning him out of all the expensive items by citing that they really didn't have the room to carry everything, and not to be ungrateful, this shop would always be available to her in the future. So she settled on all the usual and useful supplies while only taking a few little extras.

"What's this?" She picked up a very ornate little bottle, that rather looked out of place amongst everything else. The bottle alone looked like it would fetch some nice money.

"That? Oh, it's a perfume I was working on, you know. Back when I was hoping to get into the tourist market." He rubbed his head at bit, mussing up his already messy brown hair. "They sold very well, but, that was before the Weapon disaster, and I seem to have forgotten how I made them. That's one of the very few that I managed to recover in decent condition after my shop was destroyed, you know."

"Why not just break it down and figure it out? Can't you potions people do that? The ones in Wutai can, anyways." She spun it around in her hands, opening the top and spraying a little on her wrist to smell it. Even despite the bug repellant, which smelled quite pleasant, actually, she could clearly smell the perfume's delicate fragrance, but couldn't quite make it out._ Kinda flowery..._

"Well, I suppose I could, but I'm not interested in it anymore." He seemed to be leaving something out, and Yuffie wasn't so interested as to bother prying. She placed the perfume back on the shelf.

"Excuse me, but, you would not happen to know of any suspicious structures in the area, perchance?" Vincent didn't seem unduly interested in the perfume either, however that certainly hadn't come as any surprise to Yuffie. "Perhaps an abandoned laboratory of some sort?"

"Oh, I'm afraid not." He carefully polished the fingerprints from the little bottle. "Not much in the way of civilization out this way, aside from Mideel itself, you know."

"Oh! Oh! I know!" Little Josh jumped up and down excitedly, waving his hand in a definite 'pick me!' motion. "I stumbled across this really weird wall on the island just across the inlet there, you see! It's kinda creepy, really, so I didn't land and check it out, but, it's like a castle wall or something and totally suspicious!"

"Oh, that's right, I remember you coming home and telling me about that now! Haha, how could I forget? You were so worked up, you know!" He turned to them, beaming. "He wouldn't stop talking about pirate strongholds all week after that. He's such an imaginative boy, you know."

She exchanged a glance with Vincent. "Hrm... what do you think, Vinnie? Sounds fishy to me."

"Totally fishy!" Josh agreed, nodding vigorously. Yuffie noted he was actually quite similar to how she had been at that age. Maybe all hope was not lost for the poor boy.

"At the very least it is more of a lead than we had before." He moved to run his hand through his hair, but stopped upon noticing her hand moving with him. "In addition, would you happen to know a locksmith?"

The shopkeeper blinked as he regarded their situation, as though just now noticing it. "Oh! Oh dear, a game gone awry, I see? Goodness but that must be awkward, you know!"

"Gawd yes, I _know_," she grimaced, though in truth she'd there were times she found she didn't really mind it at all, and at least it kept him from vanishing on her.

"Oh! Did you get stuck while playing Cop and Robber?? Or the Great Hero and the Evil Overlord?? _Obviously _Miss Yuffie was the good guy, because you're dressed just like the villain, Mister!" His eyes lit up, obviously wondering why he'd never though to incorporate handcuffs into "Great Hero and Evil Overlord" himself. Yuffie found herself snickering at his assessment of their situation, as well as Vincent's arched eyebrow at the thought of Yuffie being anything other than the thief.

"Why there's one on the shop below mine, in fact," Jake smiled lightly, shushing Josh, who was continuing to speculate on what game they must have been playing. "I'm afraid his prices are a bit steep, but he is the only one in town."

She considered this, her eyes darting along her arm and to Vincent's, gazing upon the shackles she had tried thus far unsuccessfully to pick, since she lacked both her picks and full ability, being that she herself was cuffed. "You know..."

"Price aside, we are getting these removed." He told her firmly, as he dragged her out the door.

"But it's not _that _bad, really! C'mon, you know you love being close to sexy little me all the time!" She grinned mischievously as she took his arm in both of hers, clinging to it and batting her large stormy-gray eyes up at him. He paused in mid-step, then pressed onward, seeming to ignore where this put his arm in relation to her body.

"You are perfectly capable of doing that after we have taken care of our problem," he scowled as he drug her into the shop, Yuffie pouting as she let go of his arm.

"Finnnee, I guess, but I don't like that 'steep prices' talk."

"You will live."

* * *

After having finally been released from the shackles, Yuffie rubbed her wrist and marveled at the incredible feeling of freedom she hadn't even noticed was missing until this moment. Sure their pockets were severely lightened, but, Yuffie'd had to admit that the locks had been very tricky, to a degree that the locksmith had practically had to destroy the internal mechanism to release them, especially the one around Vincent the Yuffie herself had been unable to pick. She turned to Vincent, who she could tell was similarly relieved to be released.

"Hey, Vinnie, let's go get lunch!" She grinned as she turned to face him, having been marching in front of him, her spirits high at the combination of freedom and protection from nature's most vile creations of the jungle.

"...I suppose we might as well. But then we are going immediately to investigate our lead, with no other side-tracks, is that understood?" He crossed his arms, something she could tell he missed being able to do, because he was certainly doing it a lot. She rolled her eyes.

"Finnneee," She agreed, then lead them to a likely looking café, where they were soon seated and waited on. She ate her food quite eagerly, enjoying her ability to do so without incurring Vincent's ire at her habit of waving both of her arms about while doing so in various directions to reach everything she wanted. "So, going to miss yer excuse to be in the same room as me during baths? Also, you got no excuse to not let us go to the hot springs now."

He regarded her quietly for a moment, while he thoughtfully chewed on his food and then swallowed, the ghost of a smirk forming on his handsome face. "Is that a hint of disappointment I hear in your voice in regards to the first question?"

"W-what?? Don't be silly!" She turned a bright red, though privately had to admit she was just a little disappointed. _Just a __**teeny **__bit! Gawd! Stupid Vincent, catchin' that! _"Like I'd be interested in hearin' you splash around in a tub."

"Oh? Mm, I suppose not." He left it at that, but seemed quite smug at her reaction in any case. She scowled and finished off her drink.

"ANYways, don't we have somethin' to check out?" She hopped up from the table and headed off, not entirely certain where she was going, but if it got her away from Vincent, she was fine with it. She heard his boots clinking just slightly behind her as he followed, and could practically feel the amusement dripping off him like an aura.

"And you realize, of course, the boat we need to procure is in the opposite direction."

"..." *She stopped suddenly, nearly causing Vincent to walk into her, though he stopped so close behind her that she could feel him barely brushing against her, making her shiver lightly. "Yeah, of course! I was... just takin' the scenic route! Yeah, see?? We follow this path here around and end up at the dock! Gawd, Vinnie, quit doubtin' me." She ran off down the path as he chuckled and followed her, eventually ending back up at the dock, though it had taken rather longer than Yuffie had hoped.

"Look, see?" She gestured to the cerulean waters of the ocean now in view, the island in question not very far from shore, probably no more than ten minutes away by a small skiff. "I told you so. _And _we go to sight-see. So nyeh!"

"If you insist." He wasted no more time in procuring a small rowboat and hopping gracefully into it. He turned his eyes to Yuffie, as she jumped in as well. "If you are going to become ill at any time, turn around. I do not wish to have to wash my clothes half-way there."

"I ain't gonna! Little boats like this are fine. It's the big ships that make me hurl." She plopped herself down and grabs the oars, indeed quite fine in something small like this, where she was controlling it herself. "Onward and away!" She cheered, always enjoying a good adventure. Vincent merely sighed and began rowing, not seeming convinced of her seaworthiness.

Fortunately for the both of them, Yuffie was quite true to her word and didn't become ill at all. In fact, it was quite a pleasant trip, the gentle blue waters of the ocean gently rocking the small boat as they rowed it towards the other, smaller island where this mysterious wall supposedly was. She watched Vincent rowing away in front of her, the warm tropical breeze rustling his long strands of ebony hair, and noted jealously that he didn't seem to be sweating much at all. She felt like she was going to bake. How he managed it with his thick, dark clothing, she didn't even want to ponder. He seemed to notice her watching him.

"Is everything alright?" He paused to slide a strand of hair away from his eyes, where she could barely see the very faint beginnings of sweat at his brow. She scowled a bit.

"Not a bit. I'm only dying of heat over here, nothin' major."

"Very good. Let me know if something important develops." He returned to rowing, scouting the perimeter of the island, since the wall was apparently visible from the water.

Yuffie bristled at this. "What! I'll have you know that's a very important development!"

"You told me it was not."

"I... You..... shut up!" She scowled, glaring at the much-too amused gunman. She really wasn't certain if he liked him better when he joked with her or not. He'd certainly become much more open with her. Not entirely a bad thing...

He did so, though mostly to concentrate on his scouting. They rowed slowly in the shadow of the large, tropical trees until finally something different appeared, a glimpse of vine-covered gray stone barely visible at first, then once noticed, sticking out quite drastically. It was quite an imposing wall, especially to a child, and Yuffie could understand why it had riled little Josh up so much. She stared at it hard, her head tilted slightly.

"Huh. You think that's the right place?"

He examined it critically, rowing the boat up to the shore and hopping out, securing it to a tree by the rope as she joined him on land. "It certainly looks as though it's made of the same type of material. Let us go and see."

They trekked their way to the structure, circling around it as they searched for the entrance. They found it eventually, a relatively small door for such an imposing building, made of metal. Yuffie tried opening it, to find it quite securely, and predictably, locked. She stomped her foot and pouted.

"Damn it! Why can't they ever just open up?"

"Is this a serious question?" He examined the smooth metal door, then the surrounding wall quite thoroughly.

"No, not really. Wishing, mostly. I hate locked doors." She noted that the door looked much too well-maintained for this to be an abandoned facility, despite what all the vegetation overrunning it seemed to let on. She couldn't see any sign of hinges or a doorknob, either, indicating the truly annoying mark of a ShinRa styled door. There was even a little slot for a keycard."Ugh. I especially hate locked ShinRa doors."

"Hm," He rummaged about in his pack for a moment after giving the keycard slot a glance, pulling out a small materia. "They are not that bad, really. It is merely a matter of the proper electrical pulse." He slipped it into the slot on his bangle, the smooth stone glimmering in the gentle light that streamed through the leaves above. He stuck the tip of his metallic claw into the keycard slot and channeled the energies through it, until there was a dull tone emitting from the door before it slid up into the wall, exposing the dark hallway beyond as they were hit with a blast of cold air in stark contrast to the hot and humidity of the jungle. Yuffie sighed in relief.

"Man that's creepy. But oh Leviathan do I love that air," She started inside, followed very closely by Vincent, who had his Death Penalty out and ready for surprises. Yuffie followed suit, and pulled her Conformer from its resting place.

And together, they began their exploration of what was most certainly Cyrus's facility.

~*~ End Chapter ~*~

_~I think I'll make a forum for this- if I have a medium to interact with readers, I think I'll be more motivated to keep this up. I feel terrible for going this long, but, life hands out funny events. Thank anyone who still reads, or stumbled upon this recently!~_

_~Kai_


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